Clinton, S.C. – Behind a fast start at the plate in game two and strong pitching from freshman Amanda Fulton, the Western Carolina softball team split a doubleheader with Big South foe Presbyterian on Tuesday, dropping a 9-1 decision in five innings before rebounding to grab the 5-3 win in the finale at the PC Softball Complex.
Freshman Courtney Marks and sophomore Lily Bell led WCU's offensive attack with four hits apiece as Bell lined a pair of doubles. Marks had two stolen bases and Bell added an eight theft to her team lead. Senior Natalie Henry added three hits, while sophomore Sydney Dirks, senior Mattie Mentel, and junior Rylee Butler had a pair of hits over the two games with Dirks joining Bell with two doubles.
The five doubles from the Catamounts in game two are the most by a WCU squad since April 6, 2024, when six two-baggers were slugged as part of an 8-3 win over mountain rival ETSU.
Fulton tossed her third straight complete game, recording six strikeouts in game two to earn the win over PC.
Game One – Presbyterian 9, Western Carolina 1 (5 Innings)
Presbyterian scored eight runs between a five-run third and a three-run fourth to put the doubleheader opener away on Tuesday, upending WCU 9-1 in five innings to avenge the loss in Cullowhee over the weekend in the Catamount Classic.
Presbyterian struck first using a solo home run in the second to jump in front of the opener. Game one starter AG Batson limited the damage to just one with a pair of groundouts following the solo shot. However, the Blue Hose put together a five-run third inning with a pair of RBI singles along with a two-run knock. The frame was capped when the hosts took advantage of a WCU error to make it 6-0 after three innings.
PC closed out its scoring in the fourth with a two-run base knock before an RBI double saw the Blue Hose advantage swell to nine.
In the fifth, the Catamounts used a one-out single from Natalie Henry, followed by a two-out single from Lily Bell, before freshman Courtney Marks got WCU on the board with an RBI single to center field to ultimately lead to a 9-1 final.
Batson (3-4) suffered the loss on Tuesday, allowing six runs, with four earned on five hits. She also tallied a strikeout in her start. Tessa Juett came in and pitched 1.2 innings of relief as she allowed three hits and three runs, two of which were earned. The Berea, Ky. native also added three strikeouts to her stat line.
Peyton Duncan (6-3) went the distance for the Blue Hose as she scattered five hits over five innings of work, allowing one run and striking out five.
Game Two – Western Carolina 5, Presbyterian 3
The Catamounts rebounded in game two with five runs over the first four innings and used freshman Amanda Fulton's third straight complete game to outlast Presbyterian 5-3 to earn the nonconference midweek split on Tuesday afternoon.
Lily Bell wasted little time with a leadoff single. After swiping second, she moved to third on a groundout but was stranded at third as PC thwarted the early threat.
The Catamounts got on the board in the second as Natalie Henry was hit by a pitch with one out before Sydney Dirks laced a double to centerfield to plate Henry. Fulton continued to rack up the strikeouts in the second with a pair of punchouts as part of a 1-2-3 second for WCU on the defensive side.
Bell opened the third with her first double of the day and was moved to third by Courtney Marks before a Rylee Butler RBI single saw the lead jump to 2-0. Mattie Mentel joined the offensive scoring with an RBI single before Henry's RBI base knock gave the guests a 4-0 lead.
Imara Harrell began the fourth with a walk. After she was sacrificed to second, Bell connected on her second double of the day to push home a run and balloon the lead to 5-0.
Presbyterian answered, though, in the home half of the fourth as the first two batters reached before an RBI groundout got the hosts on the board, followed by an RBI single to cut the score to 5-2, but Fulton limited the damage with a flyout and strikeout.
Dirks connected on a two-out double in the fifth but was unable to score before Fulton returned to her dominating ways with a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
In the seventh, Mentel opened the frame with a single followed by a first-pitch base knock from Henry before the Blue Hose sat the next three batters down to send the game to the final half inning.
Presbyterian opened the final half-inning with a leadoff double, and after a groundout moved the runner to third, the Blue Hose took advantage of a fielding error to score a run and make it a 5-3 game. Fulton got a foul out and after a walk put two on, induced the fielder's choice groundout to end the threat and give WCU the split.
Fulton (4-1) tossed her third straight complete game on Tuesday, allowing four hits, three runs with a walk, and six strikeouts. In her past three complete games, Fulton has tallied a 3-0 record with a 1.00 ERA allowing three earned and recording 24 strikeouts in 21 innings of work.
Kasey Wolfe (2-5) suffered the defeat, allowing six hits and four runs with three of those being earned over 3.0 innings of work and two strikeouts. Grace Kelley pitched the final 4.0 innings scattering six hits and allowing one run with four strikeouts.
The Catamounts return to the Palmetto State on Friday, March 7, for the Eagle Classic hosted by Winthrop in Rock Hill. WCU will play five games, facing Boston and Winthrop two times apiece, along with a single matchup against Norfolk State. All five games will have live stats available through links on CatamountSports.com. Friday night's matchup against the host Winthrop will also be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
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