Salem, Va. – For the first time since the 2018 season, The Wheeling University Softball team (12-41, 8-18) traveled down to the James I. Moyer Sports Complex for the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. The Cardinals opened up tournament play against the #1 seed from the MEC South, Glenville State, and was locked in a classic pitcher's duel. It would come down to the final half inning of play, but the Pioneers got the run that counted as they downed the Cardinals 1-0, sending them to the elimination bracket.
Kaylin Shields would take the ball for game one and was opposed by Glenville State's Kylie Burdick. When these two pitchers met in the regular season, it was a 1-0 win for the Pioneers and Wednesday's game would shape up the same way. Both teams would get a runner on base in their halves of the first, with Amber Morgan singling for the Cardinals, but neither team was able to push across a run. Shields would allow just one hit through her first three innings of play, the single given up on the first, and was able to strike out two Pioneers while the Cardinal defense held strong behind her. The Cardinal's only base runner aside from the Morgan single was a Denise Carrillo walk as they tried to string something together in support of their pitcher.
The Cardinals would get the leadoff runner on in the top of the fifth as Keke Warrix singled, but she was stranded to end the inning. However, the Cardinal's biggest threat would come in the top of the sixth after Ava Kresak got things started with a single. Wheeling would take advantage of a Pioneer error with one out as Brooklyn Sanders would reach to put runners at first and second with one out. Once again, however, both runners were stranded and the score remained 0-0. Both teams would get runners to second on that sixth inning, but neither would score and the game remained scoreless into the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh back-to-back singles would kick things off and a wild pitch moved runners to second and third. A two out walk would load the bases and it was a walk that would end up winning it as the Pioneers earned a 1-0 victory to hand Wheeling it's first loss of the tournament.
Despite the loss, this one was all about Kaylin Shields, who pitched a complete game effort, throwing 6.0 innings allowing one run on four hits while walking four and striking out four. It was the second time this season that the Cardinals fell to the Pioneers in a 1-0 affair as the team's top pitchers each threw well. On the offensive side, the Cardinals would have three hits by three different players, with Amber Morgan starting things off going 1-3 with a single. Ava Kresak and Keke Warrix would also go 1-3 on the day, while Denise Carrillo would be the other player to reach on a walk.
The Wheeling University Softball team will now move to the tournament's elimination bracket as they take on Davis & Elkins on Thursday with first pitch at 2:30 PM.
