Wheeling, W. Va. - After dropping 13 straight games from March 17th to April 7th, the Wheeling University Softball team (7-33, 2-14) has found their groove as of late. They have split each of their last three doubleheaders, including taking one of two in a midweek non-conference doubleheader with Walsh on Wednesday night. The offense took charge in game one, lifting the Cardinals to a 6-5 victory before they fell in the second game 6-1 to round out the day.
Game 1: Wheeling 6, Walsh 5
After picking up a win in the opening game on Monday against Concord, Tessa Wise was called back out to the circle in game one on Wednesday against Walsh. She picked up right where she left off, allowing one base runner in the first and a 1-2-3 second inning to get things started. Her offense would get her support in the bottom of the second as Cassie Feyh started the bottom of the second with a walk. Two batters later, Katie Sare would single, but a fielder's choice would cut down the lead runner at third base. Maria Clark followed with a single that moved the runner to third and Grace Mummery would bring home Sare with a two-out RBI single as the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead. Makie Paxson would then draw a walk and a bases loaded walk would follow by Natalie Stoner as the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead after two innings of play.
Wise would deliver a scoreless top of the third and the Cardinal offense would go back to work in the bottom of the third after the first two batters were retired. Madison Kay would get the two-out rally going with a single before Sare walked and Clark was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Mummery would then step in and drove in a run the hard way, getting hit by a pitch before a Paxson single moved runners station to station to make it a 4-0 Cardinal advantage. The two-out hitting kept on coming for the Cardinals as Natalie Stoner stepped in and singled home a pair of runs that gave the Cardinals a 6-0 lead. Chyla Miller would load the bases again with a single, but the inning would stop there as the Cardinals held a 6-0 lead after three innings of play.
Walsh would get one of those runs back in the top of the fourth, to make it a 6-1 game, but Wise would limit them until the seventh inning. However, the Cavaliers would not go down quietly, as they rallied for five runs in that top of the seventh inning, and brought an end to Wise's day. Despite the final line, it was another strong start for Wise, who threw 6.2 innings allowing five runs, with four of those five coming in the seventh inning, while allowing eight hits, walking three, and striking out one. Maria Clark would take over for Wise and allowed two hits before working out of the jam. The Cardinals were able to hold on in game one and picked up the 6-5 victory to equal their win total from the entire season a year ago.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Grace Mummery, who finished 2-3 with an RBI and was the only multi-hit effort to drive in a run. Madison Kay and Maria Clark each also picked up two hits in the game, while Makie Paxson added a 1-2 day with an RBI. The final RBI of the game came courtesy of Natalie Stoner, who finished 1-2 with two walks while driving in a run.
Game Two: Walsh 6, Wheeling 1
After falling behind early in game one, Walsh was not messing around as the second game got underway. They put two runs on the board in the top of the first and would hold a 2-0 lead heading into the Cardinal's first at-bat of the night. A Cavalier RBI single by Riley Grimm in the top of the third would push the Walsh lead to 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third. In the bottom of that third inning, the Cardinals would get their response after Maddie Munoz would single to start the game. She would end up being caught stealing, but was replaced by Makie Paxson, who added a double of her own. Natalie Stoner would single to put runners on first and third with one out. Stoner would then steal second and Paxson would come home on a throwing error that got the Cardinals on the board and made it a 3-1 game.
Randi Holder would get the start for the Cardinals and lasted 4.2 innings before exiting. She allowed a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that spelled the end of her day, as she allowed six runs on 10 hits while walking one and striking out three. Holder was strong for the Cardinals, leading up to that home run and Head Coach Mallory Chapman would go to the bullpen to round out the day. She brought in Ryleigh Peters, who shut things down in the fifth and continued that throughout the day. She would end up throwing 2.1 innings of relief, allowing two hits as she kept the game in reach for her team. Like Walsh did in game one, the Cardinals would try and battle back in game two, but unfortunately, they just fell short and they would end up splitting the day with a 6-1 score.
Natalie Stoner would lead the way for the Cardinals, finishing with a two-hit game, going 2-4 while being a part of the run scoring play. She took off with a stolen base that drew the throw that eventually allowed Paxson to score. Paxson would pick up the team's lone extra base hit of the day, finishing with a double to finish 1-2 with a run scored on the day. Cassie Feyh, Madison Kay, and Maddie Munoz would each pick up hit to round out the day.
The Wheeling University Softball team returns to action on Saturday, April 13th, when they hit the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan with first pitch at 2 PM.
