WHEELING, W.Va. (April 10) – The Wheeling Jesuit University softball team was dealt two losses by West Liberty Wednesday afternoon at the JB Chambers Complex. The Cardinals lost 10-1 in game one, before a late rally gave the Hilltoppers a 12-10 win in game two.
WJU falls to 6-30 overall and 3-15 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Meanwhile, West Liberty improves to 21-14, 13-5 in league play.
GAME ONE: West Liberty 10, Wheeling Jesuit 1 (Final/5 innings)
The Cardinals were limited to two hits and committed four errors in a 10-1 game one loss in five innings to start the day.
Freshman shortstop
Taylor Hradek (Perry, Ohio/Perry) led the offense with both of the team's hits, including a RBI-double in the second inning in the loss.
GAME TWO: West Liberty 12, Wheeling Jesuit 10
The Cardinals batted around the order in the first inning and plated eight runs, but the Hilltoppers scored runs in five of the seven frames to rally back for a 12-10 win in game two.
The Cardinals loaded the bases on four walks in the first inning and came up RBI-hits from freshmen
Madison Macy (Metamora, Mich./Lutheran Northwest) and
Sarah Cornell (Brentwood, Pa./Seton La Salle) to take a 4-0 lead.
Sophomore
Alaina York (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) came up next with the bases still loaded and delivered a bases-clearing triple to make the score 7-0. She later scored on a RBI-double by junior
Brianna Grimes (Mason, Ohio/Mason) that pushed the lead to 8-0.
West Liberty clawed back to within one, 8-7, in the fourth inning. The Cardinals rebuilt their lead to 10-7 in the bottom of the fourth when freshman
Kelsey Barron (La Salle, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) and Cornell each drove in runs.
The Hilltoppers kept the Cardinals off the board in the final three frames and posted two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to take the lead. WJU brought the potential game-tying run to the dish in the seventh, but lined into a double play that ended the game.
York led the team with two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Cornell added two hits, two RBIs and one run scored.
The Cardinals are back on the diamond on Saturday, April 13 when they travel to Glenville State for a conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.
