Catamount softball earns first win of season against WSSU

What was originally supposed to be a double header for Western ended up to be just a single game. However, the Catamounts emerged victorious in that one game against Winston Salem State with a 9-0 win. In the second game, the Catamounts were ahead 5-0 when a downpour occurred with lightning and heavy rain. The two teams agreed to cancel the game with neither team winning or losing. Catamount head coach Christine Hornak and her staff received their first victory at Western. Against Winston Salem State, the Catamounts were led by sophomore pitcher Mendy McKenzie who earned her first no-hit shutout of the season. She pitched five incredible innings, striking out eight and giving up two walks. She also went 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk. She scored three runs and also recorded an RBI in the contest. To start the game, sophomore Heather Pritchard singled to left center and drove in senior Nikki Bost and McKenzie who each reached base due to walks. This put Western ahead 2-0 early on in the contest.In the fourth inning, the Catamounts were still ahead 2-0 when McKenzie knocked in a single down the left-field line, earning one of her two hits on the day. Pritchard would eventually be walked, advancing McKenzie to second. On the first pitch to freshman Serena Smith, she belted a single down the right field line to advance Pritchard to third and would score McKenzie from second. On the next play, the Catamounts took a gamble with Smith taking a big walk off from first base. She would eventually steal the base which would then allow Pritchard to run home following the throw to second. The two runs by McKenzie and Pritchard put the Catamounts ahead 4-0, and that is when the game started getting out of hand for Winston Salem State.Still in the fourth inning, junior Savannah Filley recorded Western’s first homerun of the season. It was a three-run shot towards left centerfield that put the Catamounts at a cruising altitude of 7-0. To add insult to injury, the Catamounts added two more runs in the top of the fifth, causing Winston Salem State to submit due to the mercy rule, thus ending the game and giving the Catamounts their first “W” on the season. Along with McKenzie’s nearly perfect day at the mound, the Catamounts were carried by Filley who went 2-for-3 at the plate, including the homerun and three RBIs. Sophomore Heather Pritchard finished the game going 1-of-2 from the plate, driving in two runs, and was also walked once. Senior Nikki Bost scored twice on a 1-for-2 showing at the plate. She was also walked once as well. With one win in the books, the Catamounts will be looking to add more to their record at the Charlotte First Pitch Classic, which would be their next event. Winning a few games in the event would give the Catamounts some key momentum headed into future tournaments and headed into the start of the Southern Conference season.