Cullowhee, N.C. – Scoring 14 runs between two innings, the Western Carolina softball team opened Tuesday's midweek doubleheader with a 15-2 victory in five innings against in-state foe NC Central at the Catamount Softball Complex. The Eagles earned the split with a 10-7 win in game two of the twin bill.
Senior Mattie Mentel, sophomore Maya McPherson, and junior Tate Stewman led the WCU offense between the two games with four hits apiece as Stewman and Mentel both homered. Sophomore Lily Bell added three hits including her team-high sixth double, her first triple of the season, and her 15th stolen base.
Graduate transfer Imara Harrell and senior Natalie Henry both had a pair of hits as Harrell connected on both a grand slam and a two-run homer. As a team, WCU totaled 26 hits over the two games on Tuesday. The 17 hits in game one are the most in a game since March 10, 2024, against the Eagles in the Catamount Classic.
Senior Tessa Juett appeared in both games on Tuesday as she earned the win in game one with five strikeouts and one earned run allowed before coming on in relief for the final 2.0 innings with five more punchouts.
Game One – Western Carolina 15, NC Central 2 (5 Innings)
The Catamounts used a five-run third inning and nine-run fourth to pull away with a 15-2, run-rule victory in five innings in game one against the Eagles on Tuesday.
After a 1-2-3 first from Tessa Juett, including a strikeout, the Catamounts wasted no time in the home half of the frame. Lily Bell lined a triple to the left-center gap before an RBI groundout from Courtney Marks gave the hosts a 1-0 lead. NCCU answered in the second with a two-out RBI single before taking advantage of an error to plate a second run and jump in front, 2-1.
Juett posted her second three-up and three-down inning of the afternoon in the third inning before the Catamount bats warmed up. Bell led off with a single before taking second with a stolen base. Bell advanced to third on a Marks infield single with Rylee Butler loading the bases on a hit by pitch. Maya McPherson drove in the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly to even the game at two.
Mentel's single to third reloaded the bases before a 1-1 pitch to Imara Harrell was crushed over the left field fence for a grand slam home run and a 6-2 WCU lead. Harrell's slam was the third grand slam by a WCU hitter, joining McPherson and Sydney Dirks.
Juett put together another 1-2-3 frame in the top of the fourth and WCU wasted no time adding to the offense in the home half of the frame. McPherson had a two-out single, followed by Mentel hitting a two-run shot to center.
Natalie Henry drew a walk and stole second before Harrell connected on her second home run of the day to extend the lead to 10-2. Juett added a base knock before a Kennedy Stewman RBI single stretched the lead, with Bell adding an RBI double to push the score to 12-2.
Tatum Martin picked up her first collegiate RBI with a base knock before a two-run single capped the scoring in the fourth with nine runs as the Catamounts sent 13 batters to the plate.
Following the first two runners reaching, the Eagles were erased on three straight putouts to secure the run-rule victory for WCU by the count of 15-2.
Juett (4-6) went the distance on Tuesday, scattering three hits and allowing two runs, one being earned with five strikeouts in five innings.
Elana Krupey (0-8) started for the Eagles, going 3.2 innings as she allowed nine hits and eight runs with a strikeout. Simone Mack didn't record an out, allowing seven hits and seven runs, with two of those being earned. Blake Vick recorded an out while allowing a hit.
Game Two – NC Central 10, Western Carolina 7
NC Central used a seven-run fifth inning as the difference as the Catamounts clawed back with seven runs over the final three innings, but the Eagles held on for the 10-7 victory in the backend of Tuesday's twin bill.
Scoreless after two innings, the Eagles struck first in the third with a pair of singles before a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly allowed NCCU to sneak home the first run of the afternoon and take the 1-0 lead.
WCU got a leadoff walk from Natalie Henry in the home half of the third, but three straight outs from the Eagles sent game two into the fourth.
Both teams were held off the scoreboard in the fourth before the Eagles used the power of a seven-run fifth inning to bust open the one-run game and take a commanding 8-0 lead to the home half of the fifth inning.
The Catamounts began the climb back with a leadoff single from Mattie Mentel before a groundout and passed ball moved her over to third. An RBI single from Henry put WCU on the board before AG Batson added an RBI single of her own before a run-scoring double from Tate Stewman made it 8-3. Rylee Butler connected on an RBI base knock of her own to make it 8-4 after five.
NCCU (2-20) extended the lead in the sixth with a two-out, two-run double to push the advantage back to six, 10-4.
Becka Wonsick added a sacrifice fly in the bottom sixth to send game two to the seventh with a 10-5 lead for the Eagles.
Tessa Juett shut the Eagles down in the seventh in relief as WCU began the home half with a walk to Juett before Stewman hit a two-run shot to centerfield to cut the deficit to three. Butler drew a one-out walk, and McPherson got on with a one-out base knock, but the Eagles stranded the potential tying run at the plate with back-to-back strikeouts to secure the 10-7 win.
Batson (3-5) suffered the defeat, going 4.1 innings as she allowed eight hits and five runs with a pair of strikeouts. Makenzie Martin recorded a pair of outs, allowing four hits and three runs with a strikeout. Juett pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing three hits and a pair of runs with five strikeouts.
Jaden Davis (2-8) went the distance for NC Central, allowing nine hits and seven runs with four strikeouts for the guests.
Western Carolina (13-12) is idle until Tuesday, March 18, when the Catamounts play a pair of nonconference doubleheaders, beginning with in-state foe Gardner-Webb on Tuesday and then playing host to Tulsa the following afternoon. Tuesday's doubleheader with the Runnin' Bulldogs is slated for a 3 p.m. start, followed by a 2 p.m. first pitch against the Golden Hurricane. All four games will have live stats available through links on CatamountSports.com.
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