Another Doubleheader Sweep for WLU Softball
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball kept right on rolling here Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader from Fairmont State in a battle of Mountain East Conference North Division contenders at the WLU Softball Complex.
Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (25-11, 19-7) pulled out a 3-2 walk-off win against the Falcons (19-11, 15-11) in the opener before coasting to a 6-1 victory in the finale. The resurgent Black and Gold have now won 16 of their last 18 contests.
In Saturday's first game, Sidney Little's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh completed an improbable comeback win for the Hilltoppers.
Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, back-to-back singles by Kat Donzella and Allie Cook combined with some heads-up baserunning to put WLU runners on second and third with nobody out.
Falcon hurler Cierra Chastain nearly spit out the hook, striking out the next two batters and getting two strikes on the Hilltoppers' Conner Assif before Assif reached on a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.
Little then lofted a sinking line drive over the shortstop's head that hit the grass just in front of the diving left fielder for the walk-off win. Katie Beeman and Cook each had a pair of hits for the Black and Gold with Beeman singling home the game's first run in the bottom of the fifth.
Annie Paterson led the way for West Liberty in the second game. The hard-throwing lefty surrendered an unearned run in the top of the first before blanking the visitors on just three singles the rest of the way. Paterson struck out 10 and walked two in her complete-game gem.
The Hilltoppers scored at least one run in each of their last four at-bats. Donzella launched a game-tying home run in the bottom of the third and Assif put the hosts ahead to stay with an RBI double off the left field fence in the fourth. Allie Cook added an RBI single and Lauren Garcia applied the coup de grace with a two-run double in the sixth.
West Liberty heads to North Division-leading Frostburg State on Sunday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
SOFTBALL
West Liberty 3, Fairmont State 2
(2 out when winning run scored)
Fairmont State 000 002 0 – 2 4 1
West Liberty 000 010 2 – 3 9 4
FSU: Kassay (3SO, 2W), Chastain lp (5) (4SO, 0W) and Baughman. Yelle S, rbi; Weaver S, rbi
WLU: Amend (5SO, 4W), Bennington wp (6) (0SO, 1W) and Donzella. Beeman 2S, rbi; Cook 2S; Little S, 2rbi
West Liberty 6, Fairmont State 1
Fairmont State 100 000 0 – 1 4 2
West Liberty 001 122 x – 6 7 2
FSU: Cosgrove lp (0SO, 1W), Strauss (5) (1SO, 1W), Maddy (6) (0SO, 0W) and Baughman.
WLU: Paterson wp (10SO, 2W) and Donzella. Donzella HR, S, rbi; Garcia D, 2rbi; Assif D, rbi; Cook S, rbi