Institute, W. Va. – On Sunday, the Wheeling University Softball team wrapped up their weekend of Mountain East Conference (MEC) play in Institute, West Virginia against West Virginia State. They unfortunately dropped both games of their doubleheader, falling 11-3 in game one and following that up with a tight 4-1 loss in game two. The Cardinals now drop to 2-6 in conference play as they continue to battle through their conference schedule.

Game One: West Virginia State 11, Wheeling 3

Despite what the final score says, game one was a close nit ball game early on with Wheeling battling right along with the Yellow Jackets. After West Virginia State scored four runs in the bottom of the first, Wheeling and responded in the top of the next inning. After back-to-back singles from Mia Smallwood and Gina Fogle a groundball moved them to second and third with one out. Anna Florczak drove in the first run of the game reaching on a fielder's choice that scored Smallwood and made it a 4-1 game. Natalie Stoner would step in next and hit a sacrifice bunt to third that brought home Fogle and made it a 4-2 game. Starting pitcher Randi Holder kept the Yellow Jackets off the board in the bottom of the second and Wheeling made it a one-run game in the top of the third.

In the top of the third, Makie Paxson reached on a single to begin the inning and was moved to third by back-to-back groundouts. That brought up Smallwood with a runner at third and two out, and she promptly singled to center and made it a 4-3 game. However, the inning would end there as the next batter grounded our to end the inning. With the game very much still within reach, the Yellow Jackets added three more runs in the top of the third and turned it into a 7-3 lead. The Yellow Jackets added two more runs in the fourth and another run in the fifth to enact the eight-run rule. It was the first time that Wheeling had been run ruled in conference play and they would look to battle back in game two.

Mia Smallwood was the only Cardinals to collect multiple hits in the game, and reached base in all three of her at-bats. She went 2-2 with two singles, an RBI, and a walk. Cassi Roman, Makie Paxson, and Gina Fogle all added hits in the game to round out Wheeling's offensive attack. Anna Florczak also drove in a run to round out Wheeling's offensive effort. Randi Holder got the start and went 3.0 innings allowing seven runs on nine hits while walking two. Aubbrie Lafferty would come in to relieve Holder and went 1.0 inning allowing four runs, one earned, on three hits while walking one and striking out one.

Game Two: West Virginia State 4, Wheeling 1

The second game saw both teams committ several errors throughout the afternoon, with five total errors between the two teams. However, it was West Virginia State who capitalized on these errors, scoring four runs over the first three innings of the game. Abby Bumbico got the start for the Cardinals and went 2.2 innings allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits while walking one and striking out two. With the Cardinals down by four, they would be forced to battle back once again and avoid being run ruled for the second time on the day. They would get helped out by relief pitcher Madison Macy, who came in and shutdown the Yellow Jackets over the final 3.1 innings. She did not allow a run on two hits while walking a batter to end her afternoon.

The Cardinals were able to put a run on the board, coming in the top of the fourth. After back-to-back groundouts to start the inning, Makie Paxson would pick up her team's first hit of the day to put a runner on. She got into scoring position by stealing second and brought up Anna Florczak with a runner in scoring position. Florczak took advantage, singling up the middle to bring home Paxson and make it a 4-1 game. Unfortunately, that is the only run the Cardinals would score in game two as they eventually fell by the final score of 4-1. They would only pick-up one more hit in the game and finished things out with a 1-2-3 top of the seventh as they took the sweep.

The Cardinals picked up five hits in the game, two of which came from Makie Paxson, who went 2-3 with a run scored. She was the only multi-hit performance for the Cardinals as she used her speed to reach base. Leah Klockowski, Anna Florczak, and Cassi Roman picked up the other three hits for the Cardinals to round out the day.

The Wheeling University Softball team returns to action on Saturday, April 2nd, when they hit the road to face Fairmont State at noon.