CULLOWHEE, N.C. (March 23, 2025) – East Tennessee State University softball won its first conference game on Sunday, 5-2 at Western Carolina.

The Bucs were buoyed by a three-run fourth inning, along with lone runs crossing in the first and fifth.

ETSU opened the scoring quickly, as senior Sara Muir got the first of her two RBIs with a bases-loaded single that scored junior Abigail Taylor. That was the only run ETSU could push across in the inning, as the Bucs left the bases full. The Catamounts answered off back-to-back hits in the bottom half of the frame, but had a runner get caught stealing at home, and the inning ended with the game tied at one.

Muir started in the circle for ETSU and settled in after the first, getting six straight outs in the second and third. In the fourth, the Bucs took the lead for good. Back-to-back singles to lead off the inning from junior Leinani Lutu and freshman Whitney Boone were followed by a double steal. Sophomores Makayla Veglia and Tiare Rieger drove in Lutu and Boone with two more singles, forcing a Catamount pitching change.

A wild pitch would later score Veglia and give ETSU a 4-1 lead. Western Carolina got one run back on an RBI double, but Muir returned the favor in the top of the fifth with a solo homer, her third of the year, that gave ETSU a 5-2 lead. Sophomore Gabrielle Fowler entered after Muir got one out in the fifth and got the last eight outs of the game to seal the Bucs' first conference victory of 2025.

Next, ETSU will host a midweek tilt at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, against Winthrop.

For more information on Buccaneer softball, follow @ETSUSoftball on X (Twitter), @etsubucssoftball on Instagram and visit ETSUBucs.com.