Wheeling, W. Va. – After opening the weekend with a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the University of Charleston, the Wheeling University Softball team (9-13, 2-4) returns to the diamond on Sunday. They battle MEC South opponent West Virginia State as they look to even up their weekend record. Wheeling had standout performances from two different players on Friday, but it wasn't enough to lift them to victory.

In game one, it was the Cardinals who got on the board first with an early first inning run to get them out to a 1-0 lead. However, the lead wouldn't last long as the Golden Eagles put up three in the bottom of the second and took the lead for good. Randi Holder would go the complete game, and was charged for five runs in taking her third loss of the season. In game two, it was the Golden Eagles who took a commanding lead early, scoring six runs in the first four innings to take a 6-0 lead. However, the Cardinals made it a game once again, scoring four runs in the top of the sixth, and tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh. However, Charleston pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to claim the walk-off victory and the series sweep.

In both games, the Cardinals had a standout performer picking up at least three hits in the game. In game one, that top performance came from senior Taylor Hradek at the top of the lineup. The Cardinals second baseman ended the day going 3-4 with a double and scored both her teams runs. In the first, Hradek used her speed to manufacture a run, singling before stealing second and moving to third on a wild pitch. On her double, she used her speed again to swipe third before coming around to score. With the effort, Hradek raised her season average to .392, third highest on the team, and has the third highest on base percentage at .408. She has been a spark plug at the top of the Cardinals lineup and looks to continue her strong season .

In game two, the spark came from the middle of the Cardinals lineup courtesy of Cassi Roman. Roman played a big role in her team's comeback in that second game, and went 3-4 with a double and four RBI in the game. Her four RBI effort kept her near the top of the MEC in RBI this season as she is currently tied for second with Charleston's Allyssa Lake with 23. For Roman, it was her second four RBI game of the season with her first coming against Bloomfield State in Florida. Roman has been a consistent bat for the Cardinals during her sophomore season sitting fourth on the team with a .339 batting average while leading the way with four home runs.

The Cardinals split their first two conference series of the year, and took their first conference sweep of the year on Friday. They look to even up their weekend record as they take on their second straight MEC South opponent in West Virginia State. The Cardinals have continued to put up runs at a high pace, scoring seven or more runs in four of their last six games. They moved their record to 2-4 in conference play as they continue to fight their way towards the MEC playoffs. While these games don't directly impact their divisional standings, they are looking to pick up as many wins as possible in conference play on the road to the playoffs.

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