Wheeling, W. Va. – During March, the Wheeling University Softball team (6–24, 4–10) played five of their first seven doubleheaders at their home park. As April comes into full swing, Wheeling will hit the road for a pair of Mountain East Conference (MEC) South Division matchups as they look to break their current right-game losing streak. They open the weekend in Athens, West Virginia when they take on Concord on Friday and follow it up in Glenville, West Virginia for a doubleheader with Glenville State on Saturday.

Last time out, the Cardinals hosted Fairmont State in MEC North play and would end up being swept in both halves of the doubleheader. Game one was all Fairmont State as they put up 11 runs and put the mercy rule in place with an 11-0 win in five innings. In game two, the Cardinals would come back stronger, not allowing a run over the first three innings of play. Fairmont State would take the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth, but Wheeling answered to make it a 2-1 game after four. The Falcons extended their lead to as much as 7-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning. The Cardinals would put together a comeback, scoring three runs over the final two innings, but it wasn't enough as they fell 7-4 to drop to 4-10 in MEC play.

After the game one loss, the Cardinals turned to their top pitcher this season in left-hander Randi Holder, who continued her strong season. She didn't allow a hit over the game's first three innings and held the Falcons to just one base runner during that time. In total, she lasted 5.1 innings giving up seven runs, five earned, on nine hits while walking a batter. Her ERA moved to 6.64 on the season and she has now thrown three complete games this season. Holder will look to keep giving her team a chance to win this weekend on the road as the stretch run for the MEC Tournament begins.

On the offensive side, the Cardinal's game two comeback was fueled by the effort of infielder Cassie Feyh, who made her fourth start of the season at first base. Feyh finished 2-3 in that second game with her first home run of the season and her first two RBI. Feyh's two-run home run came in the bottom of the sixth inning and got the Cardinals within four runs of the Falcons entering the final inning of play. Anna Florczak also continued her recent string of success, getting the Cardinal's lone hit in game one and coming back to go 2-4 with a run scored. Over her last four games, Florczak is hitting .363 (4-11) and has at least one hit in three of those four games.

As the team heads into April, the Cardinals find themselves tied for fifth in the MEC North Division, sitting at 4-10 along with Alderson Broaddus. However, the Cardinals are just two games out of a playoff spot, with the fourth and final spot in the MEC North being held by Notre Dame College, who has a record 6-8. If the Cardinals can get back on track with this weekend's road schedule, they will be right back in the thick of the MEC Tournament race. With five of their final nine doubleheaders coming on the road, the Cardinals will look to get it done away from the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex.

The Matchups

Concord: The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 22nd and 23rd times in program history, with Concord leading the all-time series at 14-7. However, the Cardinals have played better in the series on the road, where they hold a 5-6 record compared to a 1-5 record when they play at home. The Cardinals are looking to break a seven-game losing streak against the Mountain Lions, dating back to the 2018 season. Last season, the Cardinals were swept in their doubleheader with Concord, falling 12-7 in game one and 9-1 in game two.

The first game saw Wheeling fall behind 9-0 early but continued to fight back to get as close as 9-5 before falling. Former Cardinal Autumn Oehlstrom led the way, going 3-4 with two RBI, while former Cardinal Gina Fogle added a 3-4 effort with two runs scored and an RBI. Game two would end in six innings with Makie Paxson leading the way, going 1-2 with an RBI.

Glenville State: The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting for the 20th and 21st time in program history, with Wheeling leading the series with a record of 10-9. However, when the two teams meet in Glenville, West Virginia, the Pioneers lead the all-time series with a record of 6-4 while Wheeling leads the series in Wheeling at 6-3. Last season, the Pioneers got the better of the Cardinals, sweeping the doubleheader by scores of 8-2 and 4-1.
In game one, former Cardinal Alisa Shelt led the way going 1-3 with an RBI while former Cardinal Brooke Webber added a 1-2 day with an RBI. The second game also saw Shelt drive in the lone run of the day. But she finished 0-2. Natalie Stoner would be the only Cardinal to have multiple hits in the game, finishing 2-2.

The Details

The weekend begins on Friday, April 7th, when the Cardinals take on Concord at 1 PM in Athens, West Virginia. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.