CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina softball began its final home weekend of 2025 against chromatic rival Furman using a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth to earn the 5-4 extra-inning win in the opener before dropping a tight 7-6 decision in game two at the Catamount Softball Complex.
Sophomore Sydney Dirks led the Catamounts over the doubleheader with five hits and four runs scored, including her team-high ninth homer of the season in game two. Senior Natalie Henry, who made the start in both games short on Saturday, added three hits, three RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases.
Sophomore Lily Bell tallied three hits, including a pair of hits in the opener as part of her team-high 24th multi-hit game. Bell also picked up her team-best 27th steal. Classmate Maya McPherson picked up her team-best 13th double to go along with matching Henry with a trio of RBIs. McPherson also set a single-season program record with her sixth sacrifice fly of the season and matched the career program record for sac flies with nine.
In the circle, senior Makenzie Martin saw action in both games for WCU and pitched six innings, allowing a pair of runs with a strikeout. Freshman Amanda Fulton pitched in relief of both games and earned a win in the opener as her first career hit was lined into right field in the ninth to propel the Catamounts to the opening triumph. Senior Tessa Juett tallied nine strikeouts in the opener for WCU.
Game One – Western Carolina 5, Furman 4 (9 Innings)
Down to its final couple of outs in the seventh inning, Western Carolina used a sacrifice fly from sophomore Maya McPherson to knot the game and force extra frames. Following a scoreless eighth and top of the ninth innings, freshman Amanda Fulton lined her first collegiate hit into right field to send WCU to the winners circle in the series opener, 5-4.
Sophomore Sydney Dirks (3-for-4) and sophomore Lily Bell (2-for-5) paced the Catamounts with five of the squad's eight hits as McPherson, Fulton, and senior Natalie Henry each added base knocks.
The Catamounts broke the scoreless deadlock in the second inning, using a walk from Juett and a single from Dirks, with both advancing into scoring position before a bunt single from Henry pushed the game's opening run across. Senior Imara Harrell added a sacrifice bunt of her own to push the lead to a pair of runs after two.
Furman mustered a threat in the fourth with a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch before Juett erased the threat with a three-pitch punchout.
The Paladins didn't miss their chance in the fifth inning with an infield single followed by a three-run homer in the frame to flip the scoreboard in their favor 4-2. WCU answered in the home half of the frame, though, with a single through the right side from McPherson that scored freshman Courtney Marks to make it 4-3 Paladins after five complete.
Furman stranded the bases loaded in the sixth inning as part of the Paladins' stranding 13 on base throughout the nine innings, including three bases-loaded jams.
In the home half of the seventh, Marks drew a four-pitch walk. After a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch moved Marks to third when McPherson drove her home and sent game one into extras.
Both teams mustered a threat in the eighth, but a 1-2-3 ninth, highlighted by a double play turned by junior Tate Stewman, sent game one to the home half of the ninth.
WCU loaded the bases with walks to Bell and McPherson sandwiched around a fielder's choice to set the stage for Fulton, who entered the game as a relief pitcher. Down to her final strike at 0-2, Fulton lined a single through the right side and sent the Catamount Softball Complex into a frenzy as Fulton's first collegiate base hit on her first college at-bat produced her first collegiate RBI and pushed the Catamounts past the Paladins, 5-4.
Juett didn't factor into the game-one decision as she went 5.0 innings over a pair of trips to the circle. She allowed four runs on five hits with nine strikeouts, while also issuing eight free passes. Senior Makenzie Martin pitched two scoreless frames of relief, only allowing a walk and a base knock. Fulton (10-6) pitched the final two frames with a pair of strikeouts as she only allowed one hit and a walk to earn the win.
Angelina Ricciardi made the start for Furman but didn't factor into the decision as she went 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and three runs with three strikeouts. Emme Buzhardt (5-11) suffered the loss going the final 3.2 innings, scattering three hits and a pair of runs with two punchouts.
Game Two – Furman 7, Western Carolina 6
Another tight battle ensued in game two of Saturday's double dip between the chromatic rivals as Furman rode a five-run sixth inning to a doubleheader split with a 7-6 win over the Catamounts.
Sophomore Sydney Dirks (2-for-3) and senior Natalie Henry (2-for-4) led the charge on the offensive side with a pair of hits apiece. Henry collected a pair of RBIs, and Dirks picked up one herself and scored three runs. Dirks hit her team-best ninth homer of the season.
Sophomore Maya McPherson also tallied her team-best 13th double in the contest. Junior Taylor Waitley lined her first triple of the season down the right field line to plate a run during game two, grabbing an early lead for the second consecutive game.
The Catamounts struck first in game two with a leadoff solo blast in the second by Dirks as her ninth big fly of the season allowed the hosts to draw first blood in the finale.
Western Carolina (21-27, 5-12 SoCon) added to its advantage in the third with a Furman error, allowing freshman Courtney Marks to reach base safely before she advanced around to third base. McPhereson's double to the right field fence made it 2-0. The Catamounts weren't done in the third as Henry picked up an RBI single through the right side to increase the lead to three after three.
Meanwhile, senior Makenzie Martin, who made her first start of the season in game two, retired the side in order through the first three frames to help secure the early Catamount advantage.
Furman (15-32, 5-12 SoCon) managed to answer the early WCU offense in the fourth with a two-run single to quickly cut the deficit to one, 3-2. Following the two-run single, freshman Amanda Fulton entered and picked up a pair of strikeouts to limit the damage in the frame.
Offense was hard to come by until the fifth when a pair of fielding errors from Furman helped lead to a run coming off the bat of Henry to score Dirks before a Waitley triple down the right field line pushed the advantage to 5-2 in favor of the home squad.
The Paladins put together their best offensive inning of the day with a three-run homer and a two-run double to flip a three-run deficit to a two-run lead at 7-5 in the top of the sixth inning.
Again, entering the bottom of the seventh trailing, Dirks opened with a one-out single, followed by sophomore Becka Wonsick, who added a base knock. Henry reached on a fielder's choice that squirmed into right field and allowed Dirks to score to trim the margin back to one, 7-6. Furma then closed the door fo the win and earn the split Saturday's twin bill.
Martin went 4.0 innings over a pair of appearances, allowing four hits and a pair of runs with a strikeout. Freshman Amanda Fulton (10-7) suffered the loss for WCU, going 3.0 innings, allowing six hits and five runs with three strikeouts.
Lauralee Scott made the start for the Paladins as she went 2.2 innings, allowing five hits and three runs, with one of those being earned. Emme Buzhardt (6-11) returned to the circle to pitch the final 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and three runs, with one of those being earned.
The Catamounts close out the 2025 home slate on Sunday with a 1 p.m. start against Furman. Sunday's home finale is scheduled to be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats coverage will be provided at CatamountSports.com.
Western Carolina will recognize its 2025 senior class of Tessa Juett, Imara Harrell, Mattie Mentel, Makenzie Martin, and Natalie Henry for their contributions to the WCU Softball program over the past few years in a special pregame ceremony.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount softball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsb), or go to www.CatamountSports.com.
