WHEELING, W.Va. (March 17) – The Wheeling Jesuit University softball team won both games of a doubleheader versus Urbana on Sunday afternoon at the JB Sports Complex. The Cardinals pulled off a decisive 12-4 victory in the first contest and followed it up with an 8-6 win in the second game.
WJU improves to 6-14 overall, 3-1 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the pair of wins. The Blue Knights drop to 0-4 in the MEC, 1-17 overall with the pair of losses.
GAME ONE: Wheeling Jesuit 12, Urbana 4 (F/5)
Wheeling Jesuit scored six runs in the first inning and five runs in the third inning to bring a quick end to the first game of the doubleheader.
Senior Courtney Rogers (Hurricane, W.Va./Hurricane) homered to center field with two runners on base in the bottom of the first inning to start the scoring. Freshman Gina Fogle (Toronto, Ohio/Toronto) hit a two-run bomb to left field later in the same inning to increase Wheeling Jesuit's lead. Junior Brianna Grimes (Mason, Ohio/Mason) doubled to left center and stole third base so that she could reach home plate on a fielding error and put the Cardinals up 6-0 at the end of the first inning.
WJU went on another tear in the bottom of the third inning, going up 11-0 before Urbana could get the third out. Sophomore Alaina York (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) doubled down the left field line to bring two base runners home. A wild pitch and a passed ball allowed two more Cardinals to score. Rogers ripped an RBI-single to right field to get the fifth run of the inning safely home.
The Blue Knights rallied in the top of the fifth, coming up with four runs.
In the bottom of the fifth, junior Ashley Ledbetter's (Staley, N.C./Eastern Randolph) home run over the center field fence did enough damage to finalize a run-rule victory for the Cardinals.
Freshman pitcher Kelsey Barron (La Salle, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) struck out four batters and earned her fourth win of the season.
Fogle had an outstanding performance at the plate, going three-for-three with a double, a homerun, two RBIs and two runs scored.
GAME TWO: Wheeling Jesuit 8, Urbana 6
Each team had half innings in which they teed off on their opponent in the second game. Two unearned runs picked up by the Cardinals early in the contest ended up making the difference.
Wheeling Jesuit tallied five runs in the bottom of the first to go up 5-1. Barron lined a RBI-single into center field prior to Rogers knocking in two more runs. A costly fielding error with two outs allowed another two base runners to reach home.
The Blue Knights answered with a four-run tear in the top of the second inning to tie the game at 5-5. They scored once more in the fourth inning to reach their final tally of six runs.
WJU was able to pick up a run in the second, third and fifth innings to complete the sweep of UU.
Freshman pitcher Madison Macy (Metamora, Mich./Lutheran Northwest) earned her first win of the season by only allowing one run in 5.2 innings of relief. Barron and Rogers each had two RBIs, while York led the Cardinals with two runs scored.
Wheeling Jesuit will hit the road for a doubleheader at Seton Hill on Tuesday, March 19. The first pitch is set for 3 p.m.
