Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Buckhannon, W. Va. – It was the start of a big weekend for the Wheeling University Softball team (8-34, 3-15) as they looked to battle back in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) tournament race. They opened weekend play in Buckhannon, West Virginia, as they kept their streak of doubleheader splits alive against West Virginia Wesleyan. After falling in game one against the Bobcats 8-0, the Cardinals came back in game two and picked up an extra innings victory 5-4.

Game One: West Virginia Wesleyan 8, Wheeling 0

In the first game of the day, the Cardinals fell behind early as the Bobcats got on the board right away in the first inning. They would score one in the first, three in the second, and one in the third as they built a 5-0 lead after three innings of play. Tessa Wise would get the start for the Cardinals, and threw 4.0 innings allowing six runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out two. She was relieved by Maria Clark, who was able to cool things down and finish out the game for the Cardinals. Clark would throw 1.0 inning allowing one run on three hits to round out the game. The Cardinals offense tried to break through on the day but were unable to push across any run support as the Bobcats pitching staff was strong throughout the day.

After the Cardinals went 1-2-3 in the top of the first, the Cardinals would get their first base runner in the top of the second. Makie Paxson was hit by a pitch to start things and Maddie Munoz would get the team's first hit in the top of the third. In the fourth, the Cardinals would get a runner in scoring position as Cassie Feyh drew a walk and moved to scoring position on a groundball. The Cardinals would have at least one runner on in the final five innings of play, but in the top of the sixth the Cardinals were fighting to stay in the game. After a flyout started the inning, Cassie Feyh would reach on a single to give Wheeling a base runner. A fielder's choice would replace the runner at first and that would be the lone base runner for the Cardinals as they fell 8-0.

Leading the way for Wheeling was Cassie Feyh, who finished 1-2 with a walk on the day. It was one of just two hits on the day for the Cardinals, as Feyh continues to be a leader for the team. Maddie Munoz would pick up the other hit for the Cardinals, going 1-1 with a walk on the day. The Cardinal offense would look to bounce back in game two as they looked for their fourth straight doubleheader split.

Game Two: Wheeling 5, West Virginia Wesleyan 4

After falling in game one, the Cardinals would fall behind early in game two, as West Virginia Wesleyan pushed across a run in the bottom of the first. However, that lead would not last long as the Cardinals answered in the second. With one out, Kylea Chapple would draw a walk and an error would allow Maddie Munoz to reach and put runners on first and second with one out. After the second out of the inning, Chyla Miller stepped up and delivered a big two-out single that brought home Munoz and Chapple to make it a 2-1 Cardinal lead. Miller would move up sixty feet with a stolen base, bringing up Anna Florczak with a runner on third and two outs. Florczak would hit her second home run in her last eight games as she sent a two-run shot that made it a 4-1 Cardinal advantage.

Freshman Ryleigh Peters would get the start for the Cardinals and limited the damage over the first four innings of play. She allowed just one run in each of the first four innings as West Virginia Wesleyan tied the game at 4-4. However, she would finish the day out with four zeros, leading her team into extra innings. She finished the day with another complete game, throwing the full 8.0 innings allowing four runs on 12 hits while walking four and striking out two. Peters made her team leading 16th start for the Cardinals this season and continues to take on a big workload in her freshman season. However, West Virginia Wesleyan's bullpen would shut the Cardinals down after that second inning, not allowing a run and forcing extra innings with the 4-4 score.

In the top of the eighth, Florczak would get things started with one out when she reached on a walk. However, it looked like West Virginia Wesleyan would get out of the jam as a fielder's choice brought up the second out of the inning and left a runner on first. However, with two outs and a runner on first, Makie Paxson would come through with a ringing two-out double that brought home Feyh and gave Wheeling a 5-4 lead. With the lead in hand, Peters would come back out for the bottom of the eighth and allowed one batter to reach on an error. A double play quickly ended the threat and the Cardinals would pick up their first win against the Bobcats since the 2018 season with a 5-4 win.

The Cardinals were led on the day by Anna Florczak, who finished 3-4 with a home run and two RBI on the day. She now sits second on the team with three home runs this season, two of those coming in the last eight games. Chyla Miller would also have a big day at the plate, going 2-4 and driving in the other two runs as part of that four-run second inning. Makie Paxson would get the final RBI of the day, driving in the winning run with an RBI double in the eighth to go 1-5 with that double on the day.

The Wheeling University Softball team wraps up the weekend on Sunday, April 14th, as they head to Davis & Elkins with first pitch at noon. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.