Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina's offense was stifled much of Saturday's doubleheader by Wofford's league-leading pitching staff as the Catamounts dropped a pair of close contests, rallying late before falling 3-2 in eight innings and dropping the backend of the twin bill 4-1 in Southern Conference action at the Catamount Softball Complex.

Becka Wonsick belted a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extras in the opener before the Terriers edged WCU with a marker in the top of the eighth inning. In game two, the Terriers rode the strength of a three-run first inning that included a fortuitous bounce and a two-run blast in completing the sweep, 4-1.

WCU junior Rylee Butler led the offense on Saturday with three hits including a pair of doubles and a stolen base as the Tuscaloosa, Ala. native reached a fourth time on a hit-by-pitch. Freshman AG Batson and sophomores Wonsick and Lily Bell each had two hits apiece with Bell swiping a pair of bases and Wonsick connecting on her second homer of the season.

Bell, with her first steal on Saturday, became WCU's all-time leader for career stolen bases at WCU. She finished the doubleheader with the 56th and 57th thefts of her career.

Game One – Wofford 3, Western Carolina 2 (8 Innings)
Wofford used a one-out RBI single in the top of the eighth to break the 2-2 and withstood a Catamount runner on third base in the home half of the frame to open Saturday's doubleheader with a 3-2 win in extra innings.

Junior Rylee Butler (3-for-4) led the offense in game one as she laced a pair of doubles and added an RBI. Sophomore Becka Wonsick connected on a solo blast in the home half of the seventh to send the opener to extra innings. Sophomore Lily Bell added a hit and a pair of steals as she became the all-time leader in steals during the opener.

The Catamounts opened scoring in the first inning Bell walked before immediately stealing second base for the record-breaking theft to move into scoring position. Butler laced a single down the line to push WCU in front 1-0 in the early going.

Wofford responded in the next half inning, though, with an RBI double followed by a run-scoring single to take its first lead at 2-1 after an inning and a half.

Both teams struggled through the middle innings to get any offense going in game one, as singles from AG Batson in the second, Bell in the third, and a hit-by-pitch from Dirks in the fourth were the only baserunners the Catamounts could muster.

On the flip side, senior Tessa Juett settled into her start with four strikeouts over the first five innings, including a 1-2-3 third to keep the game at 2-1.

In the sixth, the Terriers got a runner to second base with two outs before a heads-up defensive play from Tate Stewman kept the Terriers from adding on. Butler added her first of two doubles in the contest in the home half of the frame but was stranded at third to keep it a 2-1 game.

Juett sat the Terriers down in order in the top of the seventh before Wonsick turned on an 0-1 pitch in the home half for her second home run of the season to the game. Pinch-hitter Tatum Martin added a two-out knock but was stranded on the basepaths to send the game to extra innings.

With WCU's first foray into extras for the first time since mid-February, Wofford jumped on top as it took advantage of a one-out walk before a steal moved the go-ahead run into scoring position. The Terriers gained the lead on an RBI single down the left-field line that ricocheted off Maya McPherson's glove as she dove to attempt the stop to give the guests a 3-2 lead.

In the home half, Butler added her second double of the afternoon, but even after advancing on a Wofford wild pitch, the Terriers snuffed out the threat and secured the 3-2 extra-inning victory.

Juett (8-10) suffered the loss for WCU as she went the distance for the ninth time this season. The Berea, Ky. native scattered eight hits and three runs allowed with five strikeouts in the defeat. Margaret Axelson (12-6) matched Juett with the complete game, allowing seven hits and a pair of runs as she tallied eight strikeouts.

Game Two – Wofford 4, Western Carolina 1
Wofford rode the momentum from game one with a three-run first inning proving to be all the separation needed to claim a 4-1 win in the second game to complete the Saturday sweep in Cullowhee.

The Catamounts totaled six singles in game two spread across six different players as senior Tessa Juett, junior Tate Stewman, sophomores Becka Wonsick and Lily Bell, and freshmen Courtney Marks and AG Batson, each had base knocks.

Wofford (26-15, 7-4 SoCon) jumped out to the early advantage in game two with an RBI single and two-run homer in back-to-back at-bats to jump in front by three in the early going.

In the home half of the second inning, WCU started its pushback with a two-out single from Juett, followed by a hard-hit single from Wonsick to put two aboard. Back-to-back walks to Stewman and Waitley allowed Juett to score and make it 3-1.

Both teams struggled through the middle innings to get any sustained offense as freshman Amanda Fulton totaled seven strikeouts over her first three innings of work, and neither team sent more than four to the plate between the top of the third and the middle of the fifth.

Western Carolina looked to chip away at the deficit in the fifth inning with a Bell walk followed by her advancing on a wild pitch. Junior Rylee Butler reached on an HBP and stole second. However, Wofford was again able to eliminate the threat with back-to-back strikeouts to keep the lead at two.

Wofford tacked on an insurance marker in the sixth inning on an RBI single to extend its lead to 4-1 through six complete.

The Catamounts threatened in the seventh with back-to-back singles from Bell and Batson, who entered as a pinch-hitter but could not plate either run as the guests secured the three-run win.

Fulton (9-5) suffered the loss for WCU. She pitched the complete 7.0 innings, allowing nine hits and four runs with eight strikeouts.

Abby Greenwood (8-4) earned the victory, going the distance for Wofford, scattering six hits and allowing just one run with eight strikeouts.

Western Carolina (20-22, 4-7 SoCon) closes its three-game weekend series on Sunday, April 13, with a 1 p.m. start against Wofford. Sunday's showdown is slated for ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats provided at CatamountSports.com.

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