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UNC Greensboro

maxwell
Michael A. Ream III
1
Western Carolina WCU 26-25
3
Winner UNC Greensboro UNCG 33-15
Western Carolina WCU
26-25
1
Final
3
UNC Greensboro UNCG
33-15
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Western Carolina WCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1
UNC Greensboro UNCG 0 1 0 1 1 0 X 3 7 1

W: Scott, Morgan (19-8) L: Savannah Rice (11-11)

Game Recap: Softball | | by Rob Knox, Associate AD for Strategic Communications

Key Plays Help UNCG Beat Western Carolina and Advance To SoCon Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Trust and depth.
 
Those were the buzzwords for the UNCG Greensboro (UNCG) softball team following its hard-fought 3-1 victory over Western Carolina in a Southern Conference Tournament winner's bracket contest Friday at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
Those two traits have also been the secret ingredient in UNCG's winning recipe this season.
 
"I think what we've shown this entire year is how much we trust each other," UNCG senior outfielder Katie Stettler said. "If someone is feeling down, then somebody is around to pick them up. We play with confidence knowing at any point in the game that somebody can come up big. That's part of the trust we have in our teammates. It doesn't have to always be one person. I mean anybody one through nine or coming off the bench, can come up and change the game for us which is cool."
 
The Spartans (33-15 overall) are riding their torrid stretch of 15 victories in their last 16 contests straight into Saturday's championship contest against either Mercer or Western Carolina at 1 p.m. Aside from their winning sixth (second SoCon) tournament championship in program history, the Spartans would capture the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
 
This is the third consecutive conference tournament championship appearance for UNCG, which won in 2018 and lost in 2019.
 
In tossing her 20th complete game of the season, Sophomore Morgan Scott earned her 19th victory of the season with an 88-pitch masterpiece. While she did her thing in the circle, the Spartan offense came through with timely hits and its defense made timely plays in the field.
 
Freshman Brooklynn Maxwell and sophomore Maycin Brown led UNCG with two hits each. Stettler and Hannah Kincer added solo homers in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively as UNCG beat Western Carolina for the fourth time in six days. 
 
"This is a very special team and we've worked hard to get to where we are this year," Kincer said. "We know somebody is going to be there to pick us up. It's awesome and it gives you more confidence knowing that everybody before and after you has your back. Everyday, Scotty just amazes me I feel like. She is a force to be reckoned with and we do what we can to give her the support she needs on offense and behind her on defense."
 
The game was won in the second inning with a pair of high-level plays by the Spartans.
 
In the top of the inning, the Catamounts' Kailey McNeil led off with a hard single and Myra Twitty followed with a well-struck ball to Kincer. The smooth junior left fielder took a couple of steps in only to discover it was a little above her head and past her. She stuck her glove out and made the catch. 
 
It was the start of nine straight hitters retired by Scott.
 
"That was a tough catch to make," UNCG head coach Janelle Breneman said. "That ball was hit hard right her and above the head. Her footwork was on point and she had to do a lot of things to make that play. That was the turning momentum in the game. (Western Carolina's Twitter) hit the ball hard and Kincer made an even better play on defense. That play is not made by many of the outfielders in this conference." 
 
The centerpiece of the bottom of the inning was Maxwell's gritty eight-pitch at-bat that ended with an RBI single up the middle that scored Brown with the first run of the contest.
 
"That's why our lineup is so tough to pitch to," Breneman said. "One through nine can hit the ball to the gap or hit a bomb. Brooklynn coming up big there was huge because and we wanted to score as soon as possible. For a rookie to step up, have that type of at-bat, and deliver a big RBI for us is a testament to her fight and her grit in the box."
 
Meanwhile, Stettler heard a familiar voice as she stepped to the plate in the fourth inning.
 
"While I was standing on the on-deck circle, I heard my papa say, "blast it" so I was looking for a low pitch and I was like alright, let's do it," Stettler said. "This is my last year here and I am ready to leave my mark. We are excited to be playing for a championship because this is what we worked hard for."
 
Stettler's shot along with Kincer blast into the trees beyond leftfield provided much-needed insurance for Scott, who lost her shutout bid when Twitty homered with two outs in the seventh inning for the Catamounts (26-25). 
 
UNCG has outscored Western Carolina, 26-3, in four meetings this season.
 
"We've done a really good job at staying focused on what we can control from game to game and inning by inning," Breneman said. "My young ladies have stayed zone-focused. We are pitching well. We've taken everything one game at a time and that's what we've done a good job of the last two days."

NOTES: We're able to accommodate more fans for the SoCon Softball Championship on Saturday! Capacity has officially been increased for the @UNCGSoftball Stadium. Gates open at Noon. First pitch at 1 p.m.
   
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