Mentor, OH. – As their non-conference schedule rolls on, the Wheeling University Softball team (3-5, 0-0) made an impromptu trip to Mentor, Ohio on Monday as they took on Ursuline College. It turned out to be a big day for the Cardinals as they picked up their first sweep of the 2024 season, improving their record to 3-5 through their first eight games. Game one was a back and forth affair that saw the Cardinals hold on for an 8-6 victory, while game two ended up being a mercy rule victory for the Cardinals as they earned a 10-1 win in six innings.

Game One: Wheeling 8, Ursuline 6

The first game of the day was an offensive battle as the two teams combined for 14 runs across the seven innings. The Cardinals would get seven of their eight runs in the first two innings, and it started right away as Grace Mummery drew a walk to start the game. She would then steal second before Malone Paxson drew a walk to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Cassie Feyh would then step in and kept her strong start to the season going with a single to center. An error on the same play would bring home the Cardinals first run and the team took a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals tried to push across a second run, but Paxson would be thrown out trying to score and Feyh advanced to third. Jenna Hollerich would pick up the final run of the inning on an RBI single and the Cardinals had a 2-0 lead after one.

Maria Clark got the party for the Cardinals and was able to hold Ursuline off the board in the bottom of the inning and her offense would reward her. Madison George would single to start the inning and Clark helped herself with a walk to put two on and no one out. Two batters later, those runners remained with two outs and Paxson would set things in motion with a single down the line. An error on the catcher would allow George to score and moved runners to second and third. Feyh stepped up next and doubled to bring home two more and the Cardinals were staked to a 5-0 advantage. Kay was up next and singled home Feyh from second before Hollerich brought her home with an RBI double to make it a 7-0 Cardinal advantage after two and a half innings.

Clark would give up her first run in the bottom of the second, before Ursuline put up a five spot, with three of those runs earned, in the bottom of the third. It brought the game to a 7-6 score and Clark would have to bear down. She did just that, throwing up zeros over the final  four innings and she worked her way to the win. She ended up going the complete game effort, allowing six runs, four earned, on five hits while walking seven and striking out two. It was just the start the Cardinals needed to get momentum back on the side of the pitching staff as they continue through a non-conference schedule that will challenge them in the circle. With it now just being a one-run game, the Cardinals needed to push across an all important insurance run down the stretch 

That insurance would come in the top of the fourth, as Paxson reached on a one-out single. She would steal second on the next pitch and it would be Feyh who brought her home with the game-winning RBI double. The score would remain 8-6 Cardinals into the bottom of the seventh, when Ursuline got the leadoff batter on via an Error. However, Clark was able to shut things down, retiring the next three batters to pick up her first win of the season. Cassie Feyh led the Cardinal's offensive efforts, going 3-4 with two doubles and four RBI, while Jenna Hollerich went 2-4 with two RBI to round out the effort.

Game Two: Wheeling 10, Ursuline 1

After putting up eight runs in the first game, the Cardinal's offense came out just as hot in game two as they got the scoring going right away. Makie Paxson got things started with a ringing double to the gap in left field and the Cardinals were in business with a runner in scoring position and nobody out. After a pair of flyouts, freshmen Madison Kay stepped in with a big two-out RBI, lining a double to right field to bring home Paxson and make it a 1-0 Cardinal lead. Ryleigh Peters would take to the circle for her first collegiate start and, after allowing a run in the bottom half of the first, she settled in for the rest of the day. Peters would end up throwing a complete game effort, going 5.0 innings allowing just the one run on four hits while walking three and striking out five.

 After being held off the board in the second, the Cardinals were back at it with a four-run top of the third. Paxson and Jenna Hollerich would single to start the inning and Cassie Feyh followed it up with her fifth RBI of the day to make it a 2-1 Cardinal lead. Kay would pick up her second RBI of the day with a single that brought home Hollerich and the Cardinals increased their lead to 3-1. After a double steal that moved runners to second and third, Katie Sare would step in and brought home Feyh with an RBI single. Madison George added a sacrifice fly and the Cardinals led 5-1 after 2.5 innings. As the zeros kept coming in the circle, the runs kept coming at the plate as the Cardinals tallied three more runs in the top of the fourth.

The Cardinals would load the bases with one out as Hollerich singles and Feyh walked to start the inning and Sare added a one-out walk. George would follow with a single that moved the runners station to station and Anna Florczak would reach on an error to bring home another run and make it a 7-1 game. Brooke Slomkowski would finish the rally with a sacrifice fly and the Cardinals needed just one more run to enact the mercy rule. They were held off the board in the top of the sixth as Kay and George singled to put two on and one out. Anna Florczak followed it up with a single that brought home Lay and enacted the mercy rule making it 9-1. The inning would end with one more RBI single from Paxson that brought the game to its final score of 10-1.
Madison George would be the leader in game two, finishing 3-3 with two-RBI, while Madison Kay went 3-4 with two RBI of her own. Makie Paxson rounded out the three-hit efforts, finishing 3-5 with an RBI while Brooke Slomkowski added a 2-3 mark with an RBI.

The Wheeling University Softball team returns to action on Thursday, February 29th, when they host the University of Indianapolis at 11 AM.