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Schedule

Full
Amanda Fulton vs UTC
Kendra Pope, KP Photography 828
1
Chattanooga UTC 18-24-1, 6-9 SoCon
10
Winner Western Carolina WCU 30-17, 11-4 SoCon
Chattanooga UTC
18-24-1, 6-9 SoCon
1
Final
10
Western Carolina WCU
30-17, 11-4 SoCon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Chattanooga UTC 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 1
Western Carolina WCU 0 0 2 2 4 2 10 9 2

W: Fulton, Amanda (15-5) L: Taylor Long (8-13)

Game Recap: Softball | | Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Offense Propels Softball to Series Sweep of Chattanooga

Cullowhee, N.C. –  Juniors Sydney Dirks and Becka Wonsick each connected on two-run homers to open the scoring and cap the scoring as Western Carolina softball earned the 10-1 run-rule victory over Chattanooga to complete the three-game Southern Conference sweep of the visiting Mocs on Betty Peele Field at the Catamount Softball Complex. The series finale victory gives the Catamounts 30 wins in a season for the first time since the 2016 season.

With WCU's three SoCon sweeps against Furman, ETSU, and most recently UTC, the 2026 Catamount squad matches the previous high mark set by the 2021 team.

Sunday's win also caps off the program's first sweep of Chattanooga in school history and improves its win streak to five straight over the Mocs dating back to 2025. 

The Catamounts maintain their two-way tie for second at 11-4 in league play, two games behind UNCG (13-2) in first place.

Senior Tate Stewman and junior Becka Wonsick both recorded a pair of hits to pace the team, with the latter notching a double and her eighth home run of the season. Senior Taylor Waitley reached base four times on Sunday with a single and three walks. Juniors Lily Bell and Sydney Dirks, sophomore Tatum Martin, and freshman Kayden Lyda recorded hits in the series finale, with Dirks launching her 13th homer of the season in the third inning to open the Catamount scoring flurry.

Wonsick capped an incredible weekend at the dish, batting .700 (7-for-10) with two doubles, one triple, and three homers. She drove in a team-high eight runs and scored six runs. Stewman and Bell each had four hits in the series as Lyda picked up three, including the game two walk-off winner.

As a team, WCU finished with a .352 batting average (25-for-71), totaling 12 extra-base hits – five homers, six doubles, one triple – and scoring 24 runs in a perfect 3-0 weekend over the Mocs.


Both offenses threatened with traffic on the basepaths in the opening frame, with both starting pitchers Amanda Fulton and Taylor Long stranding runners on the bases.

Chattanooga (18-24-1, 6-9 SoCon) began the second inning with a first-pitch solo homer to move in front by a 1-0 margin. Fulton limited the damage by stranding a pair of runners on the bases.

Waitley picked up a two-out single in the third before Dirks connected on a two-run line drive over the right field fence to push WCU in front by a 2-1 score.

In the fourth, Stewman and Wonsick reached on a single and a line drive double, respectively. Amari Burce sent a flyball to deep center to score pinch-runner Ava Giglio as Wonsick advanced to third and scampered home on a Mocs error to make it 4-1 after four frames.

Burce's sacrifice fly in the fourth was the 19th of the season, setting a new program team single season record for WCU, passing the previous high of 18 sac flies set a season ago.

Fulton picked up two more strikeouts in the fifth to push her game total to five and keep the WCU lead at three.

McPherson opened the fifth with a walk, followed by an infield single from Stewman. UTC recorded a pair of outs before Martin, who pinch-hit in the fifth, lined an RBI double down the right field line to score Stewman.

Lyda added to the offensive effort with a two-run single, giving the Catamounts a 7-1 lead. After a Bell single and Waitley walk, Dirks drew a walk of her own, allowing Lyda to score and make it 8-1 for the hosts.

Stewman opened the sixth with a walk before Wonsick blasted a two-run shot to straightaway center to give the Catamounts a 10-1 walk-off win. Sunday marked the ninth run-rule win of the season for the Purple & Gold.


WCU moved to 25-9 when homering at least once in a game this season, including a 13-2 mark in games with multiple homers. The Catamounts are now 21-3 when scoring at least six runs this season and 12-1 when scoring 10 or more runs. Western Carolina is now 21-0 when out-hitting its opponents.

Fulton (15-5) went the distance for the second time on the weekend for WCU, holding UTC to one run on four hits over 6.0 innings, with six strikeouts. With her six strikeouts, Fulton is now second in the league with 141 seasonal strikeouts and is in sole possession of second place with her 15 victories.

Long (8-13) recorded the loss for the Mocs, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits, while walking seven and striking out five. Sophia Guerra recorded one out and allowed a hit and a pair of runs in relief of Long.

WCU returns to nonconference play for the final time in the 2026 regular season on Tuesday, April 21, for a road doubleheader against N.C. Central. The two teams open the twin bill from Thomas Brooks Park in Cary at 2 p.m. Live stats for both games will be available on CatamountSports.com.

Fans can follow WCU softball on Facebook, Twitter (@CatamountSB), Instagram, and CatamountSports.com.
 
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