Johnson City, Tenn. – Late offense production in game one carried over into game two as Western Carolina softball claimed both ends of Friday's Southern Conference doubleheader over East Tennessee State on Friday at Betty Basler Field.
WCU scored single runs in the final three innings to pull out the 3-1 win in Friday's opener, before riding a strong start with six runs over the first four frames to complete the sweep with a 6-2 victory in game two.
Juniors Sydney Dirks and Lily Bell led a balanced offensive performance by the Catamounts with three hits apiece in the twin bill, both legging out doubles. Senior Rylee Butler recorded her first triple of the season to lead four players each with two hits, joined by junior Maya McPherson, freshman Kayden Lyda, and senior Tate Stewman.
McPherson continues her torrid start in SoCon play with hits in all eight contests, while Lyda and Dirks have reached base safely in all eight conference games. Overall, McPherson has hits in 11 straight games and has reached base safely in 12 consecutive matchups.
Amanda Fulton tallied her 11th win of the season in the circle with a season-high nine strikeouts and just one earned run allowed. Freshman Briony Bunsic tossed her first career complete game with three strikeouts to claim her second win of the season.
Game One – Western Carolina 3, ETSU 1
Trailing 1-0 through four complete, Western Carolina's offense responded with solo markers in each of the final three frames to rally for a 3-1 victory in the SoCon series opener.
Amanda Fulton (11-4) went the distance for a 10th time this season as she kept the Catamounts within striking distance before the offense came alive in the latter innings. Fulton scattered six hits and one run, and matched her season-high with nine strikeouts as she maintained her team lead with 113 on the season. Fulton has 12 games this season with six or more strikeouts.
Lily Bell (2-for-4) led the Catamounts in the opener as five others tallied base knocks, with Maya McPherson and Kayden Lyda driving in runs for the Purple & Gold.
Fulton had four strikeouts over the first three frames, and WCU's defense turned a double-play that helped keep the game scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning. ETSU struck first as Hailey Porter reached on a one-out single ahead of Leilani Coleman, who connected on the first pitch she saw for a two-out run-scoring single to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead. Fulton limited the rally, though, with her fifth strikeout.
Western Carolina answered in the next half inning. An error allowed Tate Stewman to reach where Becka Wonsick pushed her into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Lyda then drove in pinch-runner Emma Kindle to even the contest at one.
A two-out single by Sydney Dirks pushed Taylor Waitley into scoring position in the sixth inning. Waitley then scored the go-ahead marker on a two-out, first-pitch RBI single by McPherson to give WCU its first lead, 2-1.
Looking for an insurance marker, Wonsick opened the seventh with a leadoff single and advanced on a Lyda base hit and a steal to stand at third base. With runners at the corners, a double-steal by Lyda and Wonsick, coupled with a fielding miscue from ETSU, allowed Wonsick to scamper home and make it 3-1.
Fulton tallied two more strikeouts in the home half of the seventh inning and worked around a one-out single without trouble to help push the Catamounts to the two-run series-opening win.
Taylor Suchy (4-3) matched Fulton, going the distance for ETSU, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs with a strikeout.
Game Two – Western Carolina 6, ETSU 2
Sydney Dirks delivered an RBI single in the first inning as Western Carolina scored six runs over the opening four innings, coupled with a complete game from freshman Briony Bunsic, pushed the Catamounts past the ETSU Bucs 6-2 in the second game of Friday's twin bill.
Tate Stewman (2-for-4) and Sydney Dirks (2-for-4) led the way for WCU, with Dirks and Lily Bell posting doubles and Rylee Butler legging out a triple in the win. Bell scored a pair of runs as five different Catamounts tallied an RBI in game two.
WCU (23-13, 5-3 SoCon) opened fast in the first inning. With Bell on second after an error and a sacrifice bunt, Dirks lined an RBI single to left center to score Bell for the 1-0 lead.
The Catamounts kept the pressure on in the second with a leadoff single by Lyda. After a sacrifice bunt from Courtney Marks, Butler lined a triple down the right field line for a 2-0 lead, before scoring on an RBI groundout from Bell to make it a three-run lead.
In the third inning, Dirks led off with a double before promptly stealing third. Maya McPherson reached on a fielding miscue from ETSU and stole second to get two into scoring position, with Tate Stewman loading the bases with an infield single. Marks then delivered an RBI single to short, giving the guests a 5-0 lead.
Bunsic was strong early in the circle as a one-out single in the first and a leadoff knock in the second as the lone baserunners for ETSU, with the latter being erased on a lineout double play.
Bell doubled and stole third before crossing home on a sacrifice fly by McPherson in the fourth inning as the Catamounts claimed a 6-0 lead.
ETSU (15-15, 3-5 SoCon) broke onto the scoreboard in the fourth as Payton Moore hit a one-out solo homer for a 6-1 margin. An inning later, the Bucs took advantage of two fielding miscues, following a one-out single, to plate a run and cut the deficit to 6-2 after five frames. Bunsic squelched any further progress, though, inducing a flyout and strikeout kept the lead at four.
Bunsic stranded two in the sixth before closing the game with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to help the guests claim the doubleheader sweep. Bunsic (2-1) went the distance for the Catamounts, tossing a career-long 7.0 innings. She allowed six hits and two runs, with a season-best three strikeouts.
Caitlin Pennington (4-3) gave up eight hits and six runs in three innings for the Bucs as she suffered the defeat. Eden Muncy tossed the final four frames of relief, holding WCU to one hit with a pair of strikeouts.
WCU closes out the holiday weekend with Saturday's series finale against ETSU from Betty Basler Field in Johnson City, beginning at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available on CatamountSports.com.
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