When we last saw the Cardinals it was the bottom of the fourth with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth with one out and the bases loaded with
Brooke Webber at the plate and Concord leading 9-2. We began game one in that same scenario and Webber took advantage drawing a walk to bring in a run and make it a 9-3 game.
Taylor Hradek followed her and lined an RBI double to left center that brought home two more and suddenly a 9-2 game turned into a much more manageable 9-5 deficit.
However, the wind was quickly taken out of Wheeling's sails as the Mountain Lions added three runs the very next inning to turn it into a 12-5 game. That didn't stop the Cardinals fight as
Autumn Oehlstrom lifted a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth that made it a 12-6 game. Concord's pitching took over from there, blanking Wheeling in the seventh and keeping it a 12-6 game heading into the bottom of the seventh. The Cardinals continued to battle, looking for another rally like the five-run rout they put together in that fourth inning.
Gina Fogle started the inning with a single and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from
Anna Florczak. Oehlstrom would single to move runners to the corners and
Makie Paxson drove in the run with a sacrifice fly to left that made it a 12-7 game. That brought
Alisa Shelt to the plate, but she would end up striking out to bring the game to an end. The Cardinals rallied throughout, but it wasn't enough as they dropped the opener.
Taylor Hradek led the offensive effort going 2-4 with a double and two RBI in the game, while Autumn Owhlstrom added a 3-4 effort with a home run and two RBI.
Gina Fogle was the final Cardinal with a multi-hit game, going 3-4 with an RBI in the effort. Game two would return to a 0-0 start, and Wheeling would look to take advantage of the clean slate.
Game Two: Concord 9, Wheeling 1
After starting in the middle of game one to start the day, the Cardinals were looking to get off to a hot start as they reset for game two. Neither team got on the board in the first, but Concord would be first on the board in the second putting a three-spot up on the Cardinals. After giving up those three runs in the second, Wheeling starter Aubbrie Lafferty began to settle in and through up zeroes in both the third and the fourth to keep her team in the game. With the score still sitting at 3-0, the Cardinals found their way on the board as the game moved to the bottom of the fourth.
After a flyout to start the inning,
Abby Bumbico drew a walk to give Wheeling a runner on and one out.
Makie Paxson would then come to the plate and picked up the runner with an RBI double that made it a 3-1 game. However, she would be stranded there and after four innings the score sat at 3-1 in favor of Concord. However, the Mountain Lions were back on the board in the top of the fifth, scoring three more runs and turning it into a 6-1 game. They added three more runs in the top of the sixth to make it an eight-run game and the run rule was called after the Cardinals hit.
After a strong start to the day, Lafferty finished with 4.2 innings of work allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out two. After coming in relief in the last several games, Lafferty got the chance to start in the circle, but it wasn't enough to help Wheeling get the win.
Jamie Anderson, who threw a gem against Glenville State Tuesday, came in relief of Lafferty and threw the final 1.1 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits to end the game. The Cardinals dropped their sixth straight doubleheader and look to rebound.
The Wheeling University Softball team is back in action on Friday, April 15th, when they hit the road for a doubleheader against West Virginia Wesleyan beginning at 1 PM.
