Wheeling, W. Va. - After riding the wave of their pitching success this past weekend, the Wheeling University Softball team (6-32, 2-14) look to ride the momentum into their midweek matchup. The Cardinals will host Walsh in doubleheader action as they play their first game of the season at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex with first pitch at 3 PM. Wheeling is looking to eclipse their win total from 2023, and a sweep on Wednesday would help them reach that mark.
They wrapped up their best weekend of the series on Monday when they hosted Concord in the finale of their Mountain East Conference (MEC) weekend series. In game one, the Cardinal's offense took charge early, scoring three runs over the first two innings of play. They continued that offensive success throughout the day, adding two more runs in the fifth and sixth as they won by the final score of 5-1. In game two, it was another pitcher's duel with just four runs scored between the two teams. However, the Cardinal's offense threatened but was unable to score as they fell 4-0 to split the day and end the weekend with a 2-2 record.
Across the two games, it was pitchers Tessa Wise and Ryleigh Peters who helped give their team a chance to win. In the first game on Sunday, Wise took the circle and produced her best start of the season, throwing a complete game while allowing one run on four hits while walking three and striking out two. She has hit her stride over her last four outings, allowing two earned runs or less over 45 innings, pitching to a 2.29 ERA during that span. After battling injury last season that limited her to just 20.1 innings of work last season, Wise has turned into the Cardinal's top pitching option during the 2024 season, with a team low 7.39 ERA through 56.0 innings of work.
On the offensive side, it was a breakout day for freshman Madison Kay, who finished 2-4 with a pair of RBIS on the day. Kay got the team on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the first and helped add an insurance run with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. Kay currently sits second on the team with 14 RBI this season, while leading the team with four home runs. Katie Sare would lead the way in game two of Monday's doubleheader, finishing 2-3 with a pair of singles on the day. It was her second multi-hit game of the season, and she provided a steady force behind the plate for her pitchers, catching both games of the doubleheader.
Wednesday marks the second to last non-conference doubleheader of the season for Wheeling Softball, with their final one coming on the last weekend of the season against Salem. Four of the Cardinal's six wins this season have come in non-conference play and they look to continue their success outside of the MEC. The Cardinal's next win will equal their win total from the 2023 season and, with 16 more games ahead, they are looking to not only tie last year's win total but exceed it. They look to continue to ride the wave of their pitching success, while the offense continues the upswing over the final three weeks of the season.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Cavaliers are meeting for the seventh time in program history on Wednesday, with Walsh leading the all-time series at 5-1. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams in Wheeling, with four of their six previous meetings being in Florida in neutral site locations. It is the first meeting between the two teams since the 2021 season, and the Cardinals are looking for their first win against Cavalier.
In their most recent doubleheader back on March 14th, 2021, the Cardinals fell in both halves of their doubleheader, losing game one 11-3 and falling 10-3 in game two. In game one, the Cardinals were led by former Cardinal Hadley Bennett, who finished 1-3 with an RBI, while Anna Florczak drove in two runs in the game. In game two, former Cardinal Cassi Roman finished 3-3 with a run scored and two RBI while former Cardinal Taylor Hradek went 1-4 with an RBI.
The Details
First pitch for Wednesday afternoon's doubleheader is scheduled for 3 PM at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
