Paladins Thwart WCU Rally with Walk-Off Victory

Greenville, S.C. –

Western Carolina softball used a three-run top of the seventh inning to even the score of Sunday’s series finale before the host Furman pushed across the game-winning run on a fielder’s choice in the home half of the frame to claim the series sweep 5-4 at Pepsi Stadium.

Offensive Standouts

Senior Jeralynn Wells led the Catamounts on the offensive end, matching her season-high with three hits. Kennedy Stewman tallied a pair of hits for her fourth multi-hit game of the season. Freshman Lily Bell extended her reached-base streak to a team-high 15 games with a single on Sunday.

Game Summary

Western Carolina (7-15, 0-3 SoCon) went down quietly in the opening frame before the hosts took advantage of a pair of errors and a base hit to load the bases but stranded all three on the base paths in the first inning. Furman (16-14, 3-0) scored a two-out RBI single in the second to take the early lead. The Paladins extended their lead with a three-run frame in the fourth, drawing a two-out bases-loaded walk before a two-run single allowed them to take a 4-0 lead after four innings.

Game-Winning Rally

WCU got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning after Becka Wonsick drew a leadoff walk and was erased on the fielder’s choice that allowed Bell to reach. The Catamounts managed to even the score at four with a three-run outburst in the top of the seventh inning.

Final Moments

Following McPherson’s RBI knock, Wells picked up her third hit of the game. Stewman joined the hit parade in the seventh with the RBI single up the middle, which tied the score at four. However, Furman quickly loaded the bases in the home half of the inning and capitalized on a fielder’s choice to claim the 5-4 series sweep.

Pitching Duel

Makenzie Martin tossed 3.1 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, as she scattered four hits. Tessa Juett (5-7) came on in relief of Martin and went the final 3.0 innings, allowing one unearned run with a hit and a pair of strikeouts. Sierra Tufts (8-4) earned the win for Furman.

Upcoming Game

The Catamounts wrap up their five-game road swing in Charlotte on Tuesday, March 26, with a doubleheader against Queens University set to begin at 1 p.m. at The Stick Williams Dream Fields.

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