GLENVILLE, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan softball team kicked off their season playing a pair of neutral site games versus Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools Shepherd and Lock Haven on Saturday and Indiana (Pa.) and Clarion on Sunday at Sue Morris Sports Complex.
Saturday
Inside Game One
The Lady Bobcats trailed 9-0 after three innings of play versus Shepherd. The Lady ‘Cats manufactured multiple runs in the middle innings to cut the deficit to two runs. Morgan Norris drove in WVWC’s first run of the day with an RBI triple that scored Grace Hightower. Ali Robinson drove Norris home with a base hit in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Robinson smacked a two-RBI double that put WVWC within five. Destiny Alvarado launched a two-run dinger in the bottom of the sixth that put Wesleyan within three runs. Hightower drove in Molly Osborne to make the score 9-7 in favor of Shepherd. Norris’ hot bat continued with a double in the sixth. Shepherd won by a score of 10-7.
Inside Game Two
Lock Haven scored a run in the top of the second inning and five runs in the top of the third. The Lady Bobcats got on the board after consecutive RBI doubles from Norris and Robinson. Brooke Clark laced a single to drive in a run in the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Bobcats scratched across three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Lock Haven secured a 10-7 victory.
Sunday
Inside Game One
Alli Robinson ignited the Lady Bobcat offense with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. The Crimson Hawks tallied a run in the bottom half of the inning. Lauren Niglio delivered an RBI single in the second inning that scored Taylor Swartz to put WVWC up 3-1.
Wesleyan played long ball in the third frame. Robinson struck again with a solo shot to increase the Lady Bobcat lead to three. Swartz powered a dinger of her own to give the Lady ‘Cats a 6-1 lead.
That was all the run support hurler Hannah Hudson would need. The Blackstone, Va., native twirled a complete game and surrendered just two hits. Hudson fanned six Crimson Hawks batters.
Robinson collected three extra-base hits and tallied four RBIs and led Wesleyan to a 10-1 victory over IUP in six frames.
Inside Game Two
Kaitlyn Rizor drove in Swartz for the game’s first run in the bottom of the second. The Golden Eagles answered with two runs in the top of the third to take a 2-1 advantage. Morgan Norris smacked a double to the left-center gap that scored Molly Osborne and Grace Hightower to put Wesleyan ahead. Norris scored on an error to extend the Lady Bobcat lead to two.
Norris produced another two-run double in the sixth inning that gave the Lady ‘Cats a five-run cushion. Robinson drove Norris home on the next at-bat with a hit to center field.
Freshman Kendall Stoffel came on in relief for WVWC. Stoffel completed 4.2 innings of work and allowed one run on three hits. The St. Albans, W.Va., native punched out seven Golden Eagles.
The Lady Bobcats defeated Clarion by a score of 8-3.
Up Next
The Lady Bobcats prepare to head south for spring break to Winter Haven, Fla., for a 13-game slate beginning Saturday.
