FAIRMONT – In a game that had everything from early offensive bursts to late-inning drama, West Virginia Wesleyan edged out Fairmont State 5-4 in a thrilling Mountain East Conference (MEC) opener at Duvall-Rosier Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Lady Bobcats’ head coach Steve Warner logged his 1,200th career win which is third all-time among active coaches in NCAA Division II softball. He is also the No. 6 winningest coach of all-time in Division II history.
Both teams traded runs in the early innings, setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle. Wesleyan (5-16, 1-0 MEC) struck first in the second inning after an error and a key RBI single by pitcher Kelsi Brown. The Lady Bobcats tacked on another run on a groundout by C.adyn Ennen to take a 2-0 lead.
Fairmont State (10-7, 0-1 MEC) responded in the bottom of the second when Abbie Keilholz delivered an RBI single to bring home Grace Sobeck, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
Wesleyan extended its lead to 3-1 in the third when Gracey Arnold doubled and later scored on a bases-loaded walk. Another run in the fourth, courtesy of a wild pitch, made it 4-1.
The Falcons clawed back in the fifth inning when pinch-runner Carly Crowder scored on a two-run homer to right-center by Breonna Marietta, pulling Fairmont State within one at 4-3.
With momentum shifting, the Falcons tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh. Sobeck led off with a bunt single and advanced to third on an error before coming home on a fielder’s choice from Bella Hess. The Falcons threatened to take the lead, but stranded two runners in scoring position.
After a scoreless eighth, the Lady Bobcats finally broke the deadlock in the top of the ninth. Andie Dizon led off with a single before being lifted for pinch-runner Brooklyn Osburn. A sacrifice bunt by Kendall Stoffel advanced Osburn to second, setting the stage for Cortney Fizer, who came through with a clutch RBI single up the middle, giving the Bobcats a 5-4 lead.
With the one-run lead, Stoffel, who had relieved Brown in the sixth, shut down the Falcons in the bottom of the ninth. She forced Keilholz and Hess into groundouts before Marietta lined out to shortstop, sealing the hard-fought win for Wesleyan.
In the second game of the doubleheader, defined by stellar pitching and late-inning drama, Fairmont State outlasted Wesleyan 3-2 in a 10-inning thriller
Both teams received dominant outings from their starting pitchers, as neither offense could break through early. Wesleyan’s Stoffel tossed eight strong innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out nine. On the other side, Fairmont’s Delaney Haller delivered a marathon performance, pitching all 10 innings, allowing no earned runs, and striking out nine en route to her fifth win of the season.
After three scoreless innings, Wesleyan found some offensive life in the fourth. Following a one-out single by Alyssa Rohr, pinch hitter Brown came through with a clutch two-run single up the middle, scoring Ashlynne McAdow and Rohr to give the Lady Bobcats a 2-0 lead.
Fairmont State responded in the bottom of the fourth. Haller, helping her own cause, singled to reach base and advanced to third on a double by Alexa Foresha. The Falcons got on the board when Alexa Andrews grounded out to second, allowing Haller to score and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Falcons tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Andrews came through with the biggest swing of the day, launching a solo home run to deep left-center, knotting the score at 2-2.
Both teams had chances to break the tie in the later innings. Wesleyan had runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth but failed to capitalize. In the ninth, Fairmont State nearly walked it off, putting two runners in scoring position, but Lady Bobcats reliever Josi Fix escaped the jam.
With the game heading into the 10th inning, Wesleyan couldn’t generate a run despite placing a runner on second due to the tiebreaker rule. In the bottom half, the Falcons wasted no time applying pressure. Emma Paul, who was placed on second, advanced to third on a wild pitch before Sydney Emanuel drew a walk. That set the stage for Haller, who reached on a fielder’s choice as Paul raced home to score the game-winning run, sealing the 3-2 victory for Fairmont State.
The Lady Bobcats travel to Frostburg State University on Tuesday, Mar. 18 for a doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m.
