Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina softball used late-game offense to rally for a nonconference doubleheader sweep of USC Upstate on Tuesday, rallying for a 6-5 victory in game one and powering its way to an 8-5 victory in the nightcap on Betty Peele Field at the Catamount Softball Complex.
Tatum Martin and Sydney Dirks provided the late-inning offense before the Catamounts had to hold off a seventh-inning push by the Spartans to win the opener of the twin bill, before Becka Wonsick belted WCU's fourth grand slam home run of the season in the fifth inning of game two to flip the advantage in game two.
The wins broke an eight-game slide to the Spartans in the all-time head-to-head series, earning their first victories over Upstate since 2021. Tuesday's pair of wins marked just the second series sweep over the Spartans all-time.
Western Carolina improved its home record to 14-2 this season. The Catamounts also advanced to 19-3 when hitting at least one home run, including a 10-1 record in games with multiple homers. WCU is now 15-2 when scoring at least six runs, and maintains a perfect 14-0 mark when out-hitting the opposition. Additionally, WCU is 14-1 when securing double-digit hits this season.
Dirks and junior Maya McPherson led the squad with four hits apiece over the two contests, including a trio of home runs, two by Dirks, as the duo has a season-high 11 apiece this spring. Over the current six-game home stretch, McPherson leads the Catamounts with an 11-for-21 (.524) performance with four homers and seven RBIs, while Dirks is 10-for-20 (.500) with six runs, four homers and a team-best 10 RBIs.
Seniors Tate Stewman and Taylor Waitley, along with junior Lily Bell, each had three hits apiece, with Stewman and Waitley both homering. Wonsick, a defensive substitution in game one before starting the second game, had two hits, including a grand slam. Freshman Kayden Lyda added her second home run of the season.
As a team, WCU hit .386 (22-of-57) over the course of Tuesday's action with two doubles and seven homers.
Freshman Briony Bunsic earned her first collegiate win in the circle in game one as she tossed 6.2 innings en route to the victory. Sophomore Amanda Fulton tossed 2.2 scoreless relief innings over the two games, collecting her second save in game one and earning the game two win for her 10th of the season.
Game One – Western Carolina 6, USC Upstate 5
Tied at three after three frames, Tatum Martin lined a pinch-hit RBI single into centerfield in the fifth before Sydney Dirks hit her second homer of the game with a two-run shot in the sixth, and the Catamounts withstood a late charge from USC Upstate to take the opener, 6-5.
Maya McPherson (3-for-4) doubled to lead the Catamounts with three hits, while Tate Stewman and Dirks both went 2-for-4 in the win. Dirks homered twice, and Stewman lined one over the outfield wall in the win. WCU's four remaining hits were scattered among four players as the Catamounts rapped out 11 base knocks.
USC Upstate broke the scoreless deadlock in the second inning with a two-out solo home run to left field to gain the early advantage. Stewman answered the early offense from the guests, though, depositing a 2-0 pitch deep to left field to make it 1-1 after two.
The offense continued in the third as the Spartans opened the frame with a solo home run to regain the lead before extending it to two on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. In the home half, Upstate recorded the first two outs before a Waitley single preceded a two-run Dirks homer to left field that evened the score back at three.
Briony Bunsic put together her second 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon in the fourth as WCU threatened with a leadoff single and a walk, but both runners were stranded. Bunsic later worked around a two-out single without harm to keep the score tied at three in the fifth inning.
In the home half of the fifth, McPherson connected on a one-out double followed by an Autumn Russell walk to set the stage for Martin. She lined a single to shallow centerfield to give the hosts a one-run lead, 4-3.
After the Catamounts worked around a one-out triple without harm, WCU tacked on two insurance markers as Dirks belted her second homer of the day to deep centerfield with Bell along for the ride. It was the second multi-homer game of the season for Dirks and gave WCU a 6-3 lead.
In the seventh, Bunsic quickly recorded the first two outs in quick succession before the Spartans mounted a late rally. A single and a fielding miscue put a runner in scoring position ahead of Alyssa Davenport, who delivered an RBI double to cut the advantage to two. With reliever Amanda Fulton in the circle, Upstate received an RBI single that made it a one-run game. Fulton was able to preserve the lead with a strikeout and notched the save in the 6-5 game one win.
Bunsic (1-0) tossed 6.2 innings to earn her first career win, allowing five runs on eight hits with a strikeout. Fulton entered in the seventh, faced three batters, and closed the door with a strikeout with just one hit allowed.
Chloe Poteete opened the contest for Upstate, pitching 3.1 innings, allowing six hits and three runs, and striking out one. Anna Dickinson (3-4) finished in relief, pitching 2.2 innings, giving up five hits and three runs, and striking out two in taking the loss.
Game Two – Western Carolina 8, USC Upstate 5
Trailing by two entering the home half of the fifth inning, Becka Wonsick connected on a grand slam home run to deep centerfield that allowed the Catamounts to flip the scoreboard in their favor in the 8-5 victory. Taylor Waitley added a sixth-inning blast to help secure the doubleheader sweep of USC Upstate.
The Catamounts posted 11 base hits for the second-straight game, with four players posting two-hit games. Lily Bell (2-for-4) doubled with Waitley (2-for-4) hitting a solo home run and Wonsick (2-for-3) belting the grand slam homer, and scoring twice. Sydney Dirks reached base three times with a 2-for-3 effort with a pair of singles and a walk.
Maya McPherson and Kayden Lyda both went deep in the win, while Tate Stewman added a base hit of her own.
USC Upstate (20-13) struck first in the opening inning, scoring a run without the benefit of a base hit or a home error. A lead-off walk was followed by a trio of wild pitches for the early 1-0 lead before reliever AG Batson tallied a strikeout to erase the threat. The Spartans extended to a three-run lead, though, with an RBI groundout before taking advantage of a WCU miscue for a 3-0 lead.
Wonsick opened the bottom of the second inning with a leadoff single before a one-out two-run home run by Lyda cut the deficit to one, 3-2. Upstate added an RBI single in the third to push the lead back to two, 4-2, only to see the Catamounts respond as McPherson pushed back with a solo shot on a first-pitch homer claw back to one, 4-3, after three complete.
Upstate opened the fifth inning with another solo home run, but the Catamounts' Batson and Amanda Fulton were able to limit the damage and keep it a two-run deficit.
In what proved to be the decisive home half of the fifth, the Catamounts loaded the bases on singles from Waitley and Stewman sandwiched around a walk to Dirks. Wonsick then smacked the first pitch of her at-bat over the centerfield fence for the grand slam that pushed WCU in front, 7-5.
Waitley added a solo shot in the home half of the sixth, and Fulton continued her strong work in the circle, working around a one-out single in the seventh to propel WCU to an 8-5 victory.
Amari Burce tossed just 0.2 innings in the start, allowing a run and three walks. Batson pitched 4.0 relief innings, allowing seven hits and four runs, with two of those being earned and a strikeout. Fulton (10-3) tossed the final 2.1 scoreless frames as she only scattered a pair of hits before earning the victory.
Maddie Drerup (11-7) went the distance for the Spartans, going 6.0 innings. She allowed 11 hits and eight runs with three strikeouts.
WCU closes a season-long nine-game homestand this weekend, hosting UNC Greensboro at Betty Peele Field at the Catamount Softball Complex beginning with a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
All three games are slated for ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com. Admission to all home games in Cullowhee is free of charge, courtesy of First Bank.
Fans can follow WCU softball on Facebook, Twitter (@CatamountSB), Instagram, and CatamountSports.com.
