WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan softball team closed out their weekend road trip with a doubleheader sweep Sunday afternoon at West Liberty. The Lady Bobcats took game one 5-2 and put up 10 hits in their 6-1 game two victory.
Game 1
An early error by the Hilltopper defense was costly as Hallie Dinklocker singled and scored on the next play from a bad throw. There was very little offense until Wesleyan plated two more runs in the top of the fifth as Jenna Christopher scored on an error and Andie Dizon brought Dinklocker home on a sacrifice fly.
An one-run single by Christopher in the top of the sixth gave the Lady Bobcats a four-run lead, followed by a one-run single by Bella Posey in the top of the seventh to make it 5-0 going into the bottom of the seventh. West Liberty loaded the bases with no outs in their final at-bats, scoring a run on an error and another on a single through the left side of the infield. WLU flied out to right to end the game, leaving the bases loaded.
Sara Simon and Mahayla McCroskey both had an RBI and Riley Conkle finished with two hits. Ashlyn Tapman took the loss after six innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk. She struck out four and hit a batter as well.
Dinklocker was one of four Lady Bobcats to have an RBI and she was the only one to have two hits. Hannah Hudson picked up the win after going four innings and striking out three with just one hit.
Game 2
Posey singled to left and Morgan Norris doubled to set up Taylor Swartz with an RBI opportunity. She came through with a one-run single to give the Lady Bobcats an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
The Hilltoppers got their first hit of the game off of Abigail O’Shields in the bottom of the fourth on a double. O’Shields sat the next three batters down to get out of the inning. Norris gave the Bobcats a little bit of breathing room with a one-run single to left field in the top of the fifth to make it 2-0. The Hilltoppers loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with one out and capitalized with a sacrifice fly to trim the Lady Bobcat lead to just one.
Wesleyan pulled away in the top of the seventh with four runs to take a 6-1 lead. Posey plated the first run on a one-run single and both Norris and Andie Dizon had one-run doubles. An error by the first baseman allowed the last run of the inning to cross. The Hilltoppers didn’t put up any offense in the bottom of the seventh as the Lady Bobcats won 6-1.
Kayla Mancuso and Jaden Conrad had one hit apiece, the only hits for the Hilltoppers. Anna Welsh’s sacrifice fly was the lone RBI for WLU. Madison Angus pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on 10 hits and striking out three, taking the loss.
Norris was a perfect 4-4 at the dish, adding two RBIs to lead Wesleyan. Four other Lady Bobcats knocked in a run and Posey recorded two hits. O’Shields picked up win number five, pitching a complete game and giving up one run (earned) on two hits and striking out seven.
Up Next For The Lady Bobcats
Wesleyan will host Salem for a doubleheader on Saturday at Culpepper Field, starting at 4 p.m.
