Wheeling, W. Va. - Following their first Mountain East Conference (MEC) Doubleheader of the season over the weekend, the road trip continues into out of conference play for the Wheeling University Softball team (3-19, 0-2). They travel to nearby Slippery Rock University as they look to get back in the win column before jumping heavy into their MEC schedule the rest of the month. The Cardinals are looking to get back into the win column for the first time since March 3rd, as they battle their third Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponent this season.
After opening their MEC schedule on Saturday, Wheeling was back in non-conference action for the weekend finale against Salem University Sunday. The Cardinal's offense was firing early in both games, and in game one the team jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second. However, the Tigers came roaring back with seven runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-2 lead. Wheeling would get one back in the top of the third, but that is as close as they would get, falling in five innings by the score of 11-3. Game two saw the Cardinals jump out to the early lead once again, this time getting a solo tally in the top of the first. Salem was held off the board in the first, but scored at least one run in each of the remaining five innings to total nine runs. The Cardinals put a three-spot up in the top of the sixth that got them as close as 6-5, but the Tigers sealed it with three runs in the bottom half as they picked up a 9-5 win.
It was a big day both at the plate and in the circle for junior Maria Clark, who finished a combined 3-5 with two home runs, a double, three runs scored, and two RBI. Her biggest effort would come in the second game of the day, where she finished 2-2 with a pair of home runs, two walks, and two RBI. She got the scoring started in the top of the first with a home run and added her second home run of the contest in the top of the fifth to make it a 4-2 game. Entering Sunday's game, Clark had hit just one home run in her collegiate career, coming last season against the Tigers. She added a 1-3 day with a double and rounded out her day by throwing 6.0 innings of work allowing nine runs, five earned, on eight hits while walking four and striking out one. Clark has been a leader both at the plate and in the circle for the Cardinals and looks to continue that success.
The other leader at the plate for the Cardinals Sunday was Keke Warrix, who accounted for an extra base hit and an RBI in each of the two games. In the first game, it was a two-run ground rule double that got the Cardinals out to an early lead, and in the second game it was a two-RBI triple in one of the biggest at-bats of the game that got the team to within two at 6-4. Warrix leads the team with three triples this season, while sitting second with four extra-base hits and looks to continue that success at the plate. When the Cardinals needed someone to step up in relief, it was Tasiana Taufahema who would provide that spark in the circle in the game one effort. She would come in and cool down the Tigers in the second inning, and ended up throwing 2.2 innings to round out the day. She has been a reliable relief option for the Cardinals all season and looks to continue that this week.
As they enter Wednesday's game, the Cardinals have just three non-conference doubleheaders ahead of them, with their other 13 doubleheaders all coming in MEC play. Slippery Rock will be the third PSAC opponent that the Cardinals have faced this season, playing Gannon and Seton Hill earlier in the season, with the Cardinals going 0-4 against the conference. The Cardinals and The Rock come in as two evenly matched teams, with Slippery Rock holding just a one-game advantage over the Cardinals, and Wheeling looks to build momentum. With the University of Charleston and West Virginia State looming this weekend, Wheeling will look to get back into the win column before beginning their conference push.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and the Rock are meeting for just the third and fourth times in program history, with Slippery Rock leading the all-time series at 2-0. It is the second time that the Cardinals will hit the road in the series, going 0-2 in the first doubleheader meeting between the two teams. The Cardinals and The Rock will be meeting for the first time since the 2021 season, with Wheeling averaging two runs per game in the first two meetings.
The last doubleheader between the two teams was played on April 13th, 2021, with Slippery Rock winning by scores of 6-3 and 4-1. In game one, former Cardinal Autumn Oehlstrom led the way, going 1-3 with a double and an RBI, while former Cardinal Casey Kemp threw 2.0 scoreless innings of relief. In game two, it was former Cardinal Gina Fogle leading the way with a 2-3, two RBI, effort, while former Cardinal Taylor Hradek and former Cardinal Brooke Slomkowski each added two hits.
The Details
First pitch for Saturday's game is scheduled for 3 PM inside Kanevich Field on the campus of Slippery Rock University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
