Wheeling, W. Va. – With their home schedule wrapped up, the Wheeling University Softball team (7-41, 5-25) are looking to end their 2023 season in a high note. They head to nearby Philippi, West Virginia, as they wrap up 2023 with doubleheader action against Alderson Broaddus. The Cardinals offense has had its strong moments over the last couple series and they look to put it all together in this final doubleheader beforeheading into the off-season.

Last time out, the Cardinals celebrated their seniors as they took on Notre Dame College on Thursday at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. In the first game of the day, the Falcons offense struck early and often, racking up a 9-1 lead through the first six innings of play. The Cardinal's lone run came in the bottom of the third and they came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh looking to drum up some magic. They would come through with their best offensive inning of the game as they hit two home runs and scored five runs to make it a 9-6 game. Unfortunately, the comeback fell short as they would fall by that same 9-6 score and looked to split in game two. Notre Dame College would once again get up big early, and the offense would add two runs as they fell 6-2 to end the day.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was junior Maddie Munoz, who has taken to her role atop the Cardinals lineup. She combined to go 3-6 across the two games, with a triple and a run scored on the day. All three of those hits came in game two of the day, including her Mountain East Conference (MEC) leading eighth triple of the year that set up Wheeling's first scoring opportunity of the day. As the season comes to an end, Munoz is top ten in several offensive categories, including triples (1st), batting average (7th, .384), and total hits (8th, 56). However, she is also one of the top defensive catchers in the conference, tying with West Virginia Wesleyan's Kiley Turner for the most runners caught stealing, with 10.

As the Cardinals tried to mount a late comeback in game one, it was home runs by juniors Brooke Slomkowski and Cassie Feyh. For Feyh, it continued her recent string of success as she extends her hitting streak to eight straight games. During that time, the junior has raised her batting average to .393, sitting as the top overall average on the team. During her current eight game hitting streak, she is hitting .538 with three home runs and six RBI. Slomkowski's three-run shot was her first home run of the season as she broke through. The junior is hitting .243 on the season with 11 RBI and will look to finish her season on high note.

Although the Cardinals are not in the MEC Tournament race, the final doubleheader of the season will prove as a chance to gain momentum. With most of the roster returning for the 2024 season, a doubleheader sweep would help boost the confidence of the team heading into the postseason. A win would tie the Cardinals with their MEC win total from last season and a doubleheader sweep would give them one more conference win then they did last season. The team will look for their first doubleheader sweep since they swept West Virginia State back on March 26th, and they look to break their current 11-game slide to head into the off-season.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Battlers are meeting for the 15th and 16th times in program history, and the third and fourth times this season. Wheeling leads the all-time series with a record of 10-4, including a 4-2 record in Philippi, West Virginia. They are averaging six runs per game over the first 14 games of the series, but have fell in three of the last five games against the Battlers.

Earlier this season, the Cardinals earned a sweep over the Battlers, with wins of 7-3 and 3-0 at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. In game one, Madison George led the way going 3-4 with a run scored and three RBI, driving in just under half of her team's offense. Game two was the best start of Randi Holder's career as she threw 7.0 shutout innings in the win.

The Details

First Pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2 PM at the North Philippi City Park. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.