Western Carolina 3, Samford 2
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball scored three unanswered runs to secure a 3-2, come from behind, victory over Samford Sunday at the Catamount Softball Complex. The victory gives the Catamounts their first Southern Conference series sweep of the season and first since 2012.
The Catamounts improve to 19-23 on the year and 8-4 in Southern Conference play. Samford falls to 27-17 and 8-4 in the SoCon. The Catamounts move into a tie for second place in the SoCon race.
Samford took the early 2-0 lead with runs in the second and fourth inning. Karsin Spinks hit a two out homerun in the second inning and Caroline Seay hit a sacrifice fly RBI to left field for the Bulldogs' second run in the fourth. It is worth noting Seay's liner for an out was a shoestring catch by Catamount left fielder Courtney Price who dove to the ground to steal the hit and save extra runs.
Samford starting pitcher Mollie Hanson looked to be cruising but found a road block in the form of Crystal Cyr and Heather Chastain in the fifth inning. Cyr beat out a grounder to the Samford shortstop for Western Carolina's third hit of the game. Chastain followed with a two-run homerun over the left center field wall to knot the game at two. It was Chastain's third homerun of the season.
The Catamounts' go ahead run came in the bottom of the sixth after Samford stranded a runner in the top of the inning. Victoria Mariscal got things going for Western Carolina when she hit a one out double down the right field line. A wild pitch by Hanson moved Mariscal to third and set up Cyr's game winning hit. Cyr sent a seeing-eye single past the Bulldog shortstop to plate Mariscal and push WCU ahead 3-2.
The 3-2 lead was all Western Carolina reliever Taylor Sigmon needed. The junior from Catawba, N.C. earned her sixth save, and third in the series with Samford, on the year. She shut down the Bulldogs facing three batters in the top of the seventh. She forced a groundout and two strikeouts, including striking out Abby Adams looking on a 3-2 count to end the game.
The six saves for Sigmon this season ties her own single-season record in the Western Carolina record books. It also ranks her tied for second in the nation for saves in a season this year.
Catamount senior hurler Jordan Garrett got her third start in the series with Samford on Sunday. She picked up her 13th win of the season earning all three wins against the Bulldogs. In the final game of the series, Garrett went six innings giving up two runs on four hits and struck out one.
In the last six games, Garrett is 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA giving up just four runs in 32 innings and striking out 20. In fact, the Catamount pitching staff has only allowed six runs over the last 41 innings.
Western Carolina will play its final Southern Conference road series next weekend traveling to Chattanooga.
Furman 6, Chattanooga 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Junior Sieara Bishop raced home from third base on Elise Smith's sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Furman a 6-5 victory and hand Chattanooga its first Southern Conference loss of the season in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
The dramatic win improved the Paladins to 20-21 overall and 3-6 in the SoCon, while the first place Mocs slipped to 27-9 overall and 8-1 in league play.
After Chattanooga's Sarah Beth Roberts completed the Mocs rally from a three-run deficit and tied the contest at 5-5 with a two-run blast in the top of the seventh, Bishop reached base safely for the fourth time in the game by singling through the left side to open the bottom of the frame for Furman against reliever Taylor Deason. The Paladin shortstop advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved over to third base on senior Taylor Jenkins' bunt single. Freshman Lindsey Bert worked a base on balls to load the bases before Smith lofted a 3-1 offering from Deason to left field, but Nicole Osterman's throw to the plate was late and up the first base line as Bishop slid across the plate with the deciding run.
Bert picked up the victory for Furman to up her record in the circle to 15-11. The Tallahassee, Fla., native scattered eight hits and allowed four earned runs over seven innings, while walking two Mocs and fanning three.
Ambree Muller went 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base for Furman. Jenkins and Andrea Abbatiello added two hits apiece, while Bishop reached on three walks and a single.
Deason, who allowed one run on two hits in 1/3 inning, suffered the loss for Chattanooga. Sarah Beth Roberts went 2-for4 with a pair of homers and three RBI to lead the Mocs offense.
Chattanooga grabbed the early lead when J.J. Hamill ripped a double to right-center in the first and scored when Furman's first baseman dropped a throw from Jenkins that would have ended the inning. The Mocs added a run in the top of the third on Roberts first homer of the afternoon, a solo shot to left-center.
The Paladins exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third. Abbatiello began the frame with a double into the right-centerfield gap and moved to third base on Muller's single to left. After Natalie Clemmons fouled out, Muller swiped second and Bishop walked to load the bases and chase starter Cori Jennings from the game. Jenkins greeted reliever Kailey Palazzolo with a two-run single to right-center and Bert followed with a line drive single to center to plate two more runs and give Furman a 4-2 advantage.
Doubles by Hope Smith and Muller plated another Paladin run in the fourth before Chattanooga rallied with Osterman's leadoff homer in the top of the sixth and Roberts' two-run blast the following inning.
Furman hits the road to face SoCon newcomer ETSU in a three-game league series next weekend in Johnson City, Tenn.
Mercer vs. UNCG - Cancelled (Inclement Weather)