Wheeling, W. Va. – A little more than 72 hours after the Doubleheader began, the Wheeling University Softball team (6-28, 3-7) completed their doubleheader with Frostburg State on Tuesday. The Cardinals would earn their first Mountain East Conference (MEC) sweep of the season, beating the Bobcats 7-5. With the win, Wheeling pulls into a tie for the fourth spot in the MEC North Division as they begin the run to the MEC Tournament.
Early on, Frostburg State would jump on the Cardinals pitching scoring four runs in the top of the first.
Maria Clark would come in relief for the Cardinals and was able to shut things down and get the Wheeling bats to the plate. The Cardinals slowly chipped away at the Frostburg State lead, getting two of those runs back after
Grace Mummery reached on a one-out walk.
Amber Morgan would follow with a walk of her own and a wild pitch would move runners to second and third with one out. They remained there with two outs before
Kaylin Shields lined a ball to left field to bring home Mummery. Clark would follow with an RBI single of her own and after one the Cardinals made it a 4-2 game. Frostburg State would get one back in the top of the second, but Clark would shut them down from there.
After taking over with one out in the top of the first, Clark would go on to throw 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits while walking five and striking out three. After the Bobcats got their fifth run of the game,
Aaliyah Walker would get the bats going with a lead-off single and got to second on a one-out walk by
Ava Kresak. Mummery stepped in and singled back through middle to bring home Walker making it a 5-3 game. As Clark was dealing in the circle, her bats got her a lead in the bottom of the fourth.
Denise Carrillo would draw a walk with one out, and Mummery would join her with a two-out walk. It brought Morgan to the plate and she would come through driving a double to Right Center to score Carrillo and make it a 5-4 game.
Madison Kay would follow with one of the biggest hits of the game. She lined a ball to the left center field wall, bringing home both Mummery and Morgan to put the Cardinals on top 6-5. It capped off a four-run bottom of the fourth and gave Wheeling it's first lead of the game. That same 6-5 score would stand in the bottom of the sixth with the Cardinals looking for insurance.
Brooklyn Sanders would start the inning with a pinch hit single and
Ava Kresak would re-enter before moving to second on a wild pitch. It was once again Morgan in a run scoring situation and she once again came through. This time it was an RBI double that brought home Kresak and gave Wheeling a 7-5 advantage. That run turned out to be crucial as Frostburg State scored a run in the top of the 7th. However, Shields would come in to get the last out of the game and secure the 7-6 victory.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was
Amber Morgan who finished 2-3 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two RBI. It was Morgan's second multi-hit effort in the last four games as she continues to be a run producer for the Cardinals.
Madison Kay would be the other Cardinal to drive in two runs on the day finishing 1-4 with a double.
Grace Mummery,
Maria Clark, and
Kaylin Shields each drove in runs on the day, with Mummery leading the group going 1-2 with a pair of runs scored. The win pulls Wheeling into a fourth place tie with Frostburg State in the MEC North Division as both teams battle for their spot in the MEC Tournament .
Are Wheeling University Softball team returns to action on Saturday, April 5th, with first pitch at noon.