BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan (12-9-1, 2-2) softball team split a doubleheader versus Salem (9-15) on Thursday afternoon at Culpepper Field.
 
Inside Game One
The Tigers went down in order in the top half of the first. Grace Hightower looped a single to left field. Molly Osborne knocked a single to third that advanced Hightower to third. Osborne swiped second base and Hightower scored on the play to put the Lady ‘Cats on the board. After a Morgan Norris walk, Alli Robinson blasted a home run to left center. The Lady Bobcats scored four runs without recording an out in the first frame.
 
Wesleyan added a run in the second inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Osborne that scored Destiny Alvarado. After the Tigers scratched across a run in the top of the third, Taylor Swartz responded with a two-run longball to put WVWC up 7-1 at the end of three.
 
No team scored until Salem plated a run in the top of the fifth. The Tigers managed to score a pair of runs in the final inning. Hannah Hudson recorded the final out and the Lady Bobcats won game one, 7-4.
 
Offensively, Hightower and Osborne both recorded multi-hit games. Norris reached base twice with a base knock and a walk. In the circle, Hudson threw a complete game with 10 strikeouts. The hurler racked up the win on 115 pitches and surrendered three earned runs.
 
Inside Game Two
The Tigers came out swinging in game two and tacked on nine first inning runs. The Lady Bobcats scored two runs in the second inning after Swartz powered her second home run of the day. Robinson put WVWC within five after a two-RBI double to left center in the third inning.
 
The visitors plated two runs in the fourth inning. A Hightower single drove in Bella Posey in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Norris drove in Hightower to make the score 11-6 in favor of Salem. Hightower delivered another RBI single in the fifth inning that put Wesleyan within four. Robinson smacked her second home run of the day to trim the Salem lead to three in the sixth inning. The Lady ‘Cats could not complete the comeback and fell 11-8 in game two.
 
Five Lady Bobcats (Hightower, Norris, Robinson, Alvarado and Posey) had two hits. Robinson racked up two extra-base hits. Alvarado and Posey each recorded a double. Abigail O’Shields pitched three scoreless innings in relief with four punchouts.

Up Next
The Lady Bobcats will resume conference play on the road with a doubleheader versus Glenville State on Saturday at 1 p.m.