Wheeling, W. Va. - The race for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) playoffs is on as the softball season enters its final three weekends and the Wheeling University Softball team (7-31, 5-15) is looking to get back in the picture. They enter the weekend sitting three games out of the final spot in the North and got some momentum after splitting their doubleheader with West Liberty on Wednesday. They now head back to MEC South play with a pair of doubleheaders this weekend as they face Davis & Elkins on Friday at noon and take on West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday at 1 PM.

The offense came through in Wednesday's doubleheader, combining for 15 runs between the two games and had early leads in both contests. In game one, the Cardinals put two on the board in the top of the second inning before West Liberty went on to score eight unanswered runs to take an 8-2 lead. However, in the top of the sixth, the Cardinal's bats came alive as they answered with eight runs of their own and got back in front at 10-8. They were able to close out the game with a pair of zeros in the sixth and seventh innings and took a game one win that set them up for a possible sweep. In game two, they once again took an early lead, this time going up 1-0 in the second, but it wouldn't last long as a three-spot by the Hilltoppers put Wheeling down 3-1. They worked to tie the game and eventually took the lead at 5-3 in the top of the fourth, but in the end, it wasn't enough as they fell 10-5 to earn the split.

The Cardinals had a pair of stars on the offensive side of the ball, with Jenna Hollerich leading the way in game one and Cassie Feyh taking the reins for game two. Hollerich picked up a three-hit game in game one, going 3-4 with two RBI and posting her second 3+ hit game of the season. Her two RBI both came during the eight-run top of the sixth inning and turned out to be the game-winning hit as she made it a 9-8 game with an RBI single. In game two, Feyh set her season high going 2-4 with four RBI and came through with both the game tying and the hit that gave her team the lead in the top of the fifth. Both hits were two RBI singles that helped the Cardinals build a 5-3 lead before seven unanswered Hilltopper runs. Feyh doubled her RBI total for the season, sitting at eight entering the weekend, and continues to be a bigger and bigger part of the offense.

On the pitching side, Maria Clark came in relief in game one and was able to shut down what was a potent Hilltopper offense. Clark allowed two runs as part of the Hilltopper's seven-run bottom of the fourth but was solid for the rest of the game. She threw up three zeros in the fifth, sixth, and seventh and finished throwing 3.2 innings of work allowing two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out one. She lowered her ERA to 8.61 with the effort and now has the third lowest ERA on the team. In game two, Jenee Brodeur got the start and after throwing up a zero, allowed three runs in the bottom of the second before being pulled. Brodeur has allowed three earned runs or less in back-to-back outings and looks to continue her success down the stretch.

With 12 conference games left on the schedule, the Cardinals currently sit three games behind West Liberty for the fourth and final playoff spot in the MEC North. They currently sit one game behind Alderson Broaddus for fifth in the conference and a pair of sweeps would go a long way towards propelling the Cardinals towards the playoffs. In those final 12 games, four will come against teams that are already in playoff position in the conference in Frostburg State and Fairmont State. The Cardinals are still very much alive over these final three weeks and look to push themselves over the top and get back to the tournament for the first time since the 2018 season.

The Matchup

Davis & Elkins: The Cardinals and Senators will be meeting for the ninth and tenth time in program history with Davis & Elkins leading the all-time series at 7-1. Wheeling will be looking for their first-ever win at home against the Senators and their first win against the team since the 2012 season in their first ever doubleheader. Last season, the Cardinals were swept in the series with Davis & Elkins winning the games by scores of 7-0 and 10-1. Game one saw Makie Paxson and Cassie Feyh pick up the only two Cardinal hits while Paxson came back and drove in the lone run of game two, finishing 1-2 with an RBI. 

West Virginia Wesleyan: The Cardinals and Bobcats will meet for the 21st and 22nd times in program history on Saturday, with West Virginia Wesleyan leading the all-time series going 17-3. Wheeling has fared better at home than on the road in the series, going 1-7 in eight home games, with the other two both coming in the 2018 MEC Tournament when the Cardinals knocked the Bobcats out of the playoffs. Last season, West Virginia Wesleyan swept the doubleheader in Buckhannon, West Virginia with wins of 7-1 and 6-3. In game one, the Cardinals were no hit, with the lone run coming in on an error while Brooke Slomkowski led the way in game two going 2-4 with a double and a pair of RBI.

The Details

First pitch for the weekend opener against West Virginia Wesleyan is scheduled for Friday, April 14th, with first pitch at noon. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.