CHARLESTON – Behind a clutch seventh-inning rally and strong pitching, the West Virginia Wesleyan Lady Bobcats earned a hard-fought 5-1 victory over the University of Charleston Golden Eagles on Friday afternoon at the Watt Powell Annex in the first game of a two-game set.
The game began as a pitchers’ duel between Wesleyan’s Kelsi Brown and Charleston’s Addison Mass, with both teams going scoreless through the first two innings. Brown, who picked up just her second win of the season (2-8), was steady over 5.2 innings, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while striking out one. She handed the ball to Kendall Stoffel, who closed out the final 1.1 innings without allowing a run.
Mass took the loss for Charleston, surrendering 12 hits and five earned runs over 6.2 innings. She was lifted in the seventh inning after Wesleyan’s offense erupted.
The Lady Bobcats cracked the scoreboard in the third, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles from Andie Dizon and Josi Fix following bunts and aggressive baserunning. They maintained that 2-0 edge until the sixth when Charleston scratched across their lone run — a sacrifice fly by Bianca Polistina after Ella Zucchero swiped second and advanced to third on a passed ball.
But Wesleyan responded in the seventh. Hallie Dinklocker, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored, sparked the inning with a leadoff single. After a sac bunt and a base hit by Alyssa Rohr, Fix delivered again, this time with a two-RBI single up the middle. She finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs, leading all hitters. Courtney Fizer followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to tack on Wesleyan’s fifth and final run.
In total, Wesleyan tallied 13 hits with seven players recording at least one. They executed four sacrifice bunts and played error-free defense to support their pitching staff.
Charleston, limited to four hits, never managed to mount consistent pressure. Only in the sixth and seventh innings did they advance a runner to third. Reagan West’s pinch-hit double in the final frame briefly threatened a rally, but a pair of loud outs, including a line drive to right, sealed Charleston’s fate.
Zucchero, Gooler, Phares, and Rubal were the only Golden Eagles to register hits. Charleston also committed no errors defensively, but their inability to string hits together proved costly.
Behind a dominant complete-game shutout from Kendall Stoffel and timely two-out hitting, Wesleyan completed the sweep with a 2-0 win in Game 2.
After closing out game one in relief, Stoffel returned to the circle with command and composure, tossing a complete-game gem. She scattered six hits over seven innings, walking just one and striking out two. Stoffel pitched 8.2 innings of scoreless softball on the day.
Charleston managed base runners in five of the seven innings but was never able to mount a serious threat, stranding six in total. Stoffel induced 10 groundouts and allowed just one extra-base hit—a first-inning double by Allison Rubal.
The Lady Bobcats broke through in the fifth after four scoreless frames, capitalizing on a defensive miscue by Charleston. Lynzee Hague reached on an error and later came around to score on an RBI single to left by Andie Dizon, who finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a run driven in.
Wesleyan added insurance in the sixth with a pinch-hit RBI double to right-center off the bat of Ella Fournier, plating Gracie Arnold, who had led off the frame with a single. Arnold also had a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Josi Fix extended her torrid stretch from game one, adding another two-hit game to her resume, while Dizon and Arnold continued to spark the Bobcats in the middle of the lineup. Wesleyan out-hit Charleston 9-6 and didn’t commit an error.
After scoring just one run in game one, Charleston’s offense was once again stymied, unable to solve Stoffel’s precision. Leadoff hitter Ella Zucchero and middle-of-the-order bats Kyra Gooler and Hannah Meyer were held hitless, combining to go 0-for-8.
Reagan West was a bright spot for the Golden Eagles, recording a 2-for-3 night with a pair of sharp singles. Lindsey Phares also chipped in with a pair of hits, but the lack of timely offense—0-for-6 with runners in scoring position—proved too much to overcome.
Charleston starter Chloe Elliot (4-8) pitched a solid game in defeat, allowing just one earned run on nine hits over seven innings, striking out one and walking one. Both Wesleyan runs came with two outs.
