WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (March 4) – The Wheeling University softball team managed to score its second run-rule win of the Florida trip with a 14-2 win over the University of the Sciences, before dropping a 7-2 contest to the University of Findlay in the second game Wednesday at The Spring Games.
 
THE MATCHUPS

• GAME 1 FINAL: Wheeling 14, USciences 2 (Final/5 Innings)
• Location: DiamondPlex Field D | Winter Haven, Florida
• GAME 2 FINAL: Findlay 7, Wheeling 2
• Location: DiamondPlex Field E | Winter Haven, Florida
• Records: Wheeling 4-4 | USciences 2-12 | Findlay 9-5

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. University of the Sciences

• The Cardinals hit two home runs and scored eight times in the fifth inning to secure a 14-2 run-rule win over USciences.
• Wheeling jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning behind RBIs by senior Brianna Grimes (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and junior Heather Pinney (North Canton, Ohio/North Canton Hoover).
• After USciences got one back in the bottom of the first, the Cardinals tacked on two more on a RBI-hit by sophomore Taylor Hradek (Perry, Ohio/Perry) and a wild pitch to make the score 4-1.
• Senior Ashley Ledbetter (Staley, N.C./Eastern Randolph) added to the lead with a RBI base-hit in the third and the first collegiate home run for freshman Autumn Oehlstrom (Lisbon, Ohio/David Anderson) pushed Wheeling out to a 6-1 advantage after four innings.
• The Cardinals put the game away in the fifth with eight runs on seven hits, including a grand slam by Grimes, to establish a 14-1 lead.
• USciences managed to plate one run in the fifth, but it was not enough and the game ended in a run-rule.

GAME NOTES

• Sophomore pitcher Madison Macy (Metamora, Mich./Lutheran Northwest) pitched all five innings and yielded just two runs (one earned) on six hits with a pair of strikeouts to improve to 3-2 this season.
• Grimes led the team at the dish with two hits, including the grand slam, five RBIs and two runs scored.
• Hradek finished with two hits, three RBIs, while Oehlstrom tallied a home run, a double and three runs scored.
• Freshman Abby Bumbico (Martins Ferry, Ohio/Martins Ferry) added two hits and two runs scored.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Findlay

• Findlay took advantage of the Wheeling miscue and scored three unearned runs in the top of the first inning.
• The Cardinal offense came alive in the fourth inning when Ledbetter delivered a two-RBI double to cut the deficit down to 3-2.
• Later in the inning, Wheeling loaded the bases and threatened to strike again, but the Oilers managed to escape the jam with just the two runs across.
• Findlay managed to separate from Wheeling in the top of the seventh with four runs on four hits to make the score 7-2. The Cardinals went down in order in their final plate appearance.

GAME NOTES

• Bumbico (1-2) managed to limit Findlay to three runs (all unearned) on four hits over 5.1 innings of work, but was saddled with the loss.
• Hradek posted a pair of hits, while Ledbetter's double was the lone RBIs in the game.

UP NEXT

• The Cardinals will have Thursday off, before returning to play on Friday, March 6 to wrap up their time in the Sunshine State. 
• Wheeling plays against Holy Family (Pennsylvania) at 10:15 a.m. and closes out the trip with Stonehill around 12:30 p.m. in Auburndale.
• A live stats feed will be available for both games Friday here.
• FloSoftball will live stream all of The Spring Games here (PPV).