Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
WHEELING, W.Va. – The Wheeling Jesuit softball team dropped the first game of a Mountain East Conference double header 6-16 against the Shepherd Rams, then regrouped to take a 5-4 Senior Day victory in game two to split the series.
 
At 9-17 in MEC play (19-27 overall) the Cardinals sit in 10^th place in the conference standings with a .346 winning percentage. If they retain the 10^th spot, they will face #7 seed in the opening round of the MEC playoffs, a spot currently held by West Virginia State.
 
The Cardinals started the day by honoring the team's three departing seniors, Jarah Ice, Erika Jusko and Skylar Berger who each started in game one of the double header. Ice and Jusko helped get the Cardinals out to a 2-1 lead in the first inning when Angie Reddick drove in Ice on an RBI single, and Jusko singled to right field to bring her around the bases to score.
 
The next three innings belonged to the Rams however, scoring six runs over the 3^rd and 4^th innings to put the visitors up 7-2.
 
Rachel Conrad got the bats going for WJU again in the 5^th, slamming a solo homer over the left field wall. Jusko reached base again later in the inning on a wild pitch that allowed Lorian Tharp to score from third, and the Cardinals closed the gap to 7-4 Rams.
 
Shepherd combined for nine more runs in the next two innings however, and WJU dropped the game 16-6.
 
Jusko picked up the loss for WJU allowing seven earned runs against 21 batters over four innings.
 
The Cardinals entered game two rejuvenated, able to consistently put runs on the board to take the 5-4 win and split the series.
 
Morgan Stohlman popped a double to left center to start the scoring for WJU, bringing in pitcher Ali Smith to put the Cards on the board 1-2 in the bottom of the 2^nd.
 
The Cards tied the game at three in the third inning when Reddick drove in Tharp for a single into right center, and picked up another run when she scored on a wild pitch.
 
The winning run came in the bottom of the 5^th when Skylar Berger flied out to right field bringing in Marla Small who tagged up at third to put the game away 5-4 for WJU.
 
The Cardinals face the MEC's No.4 Fairmont state in a Sunday double header for a chance to move up the conference standings ahead of playoffs.