Softball | 2/4/2012 9:06:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 BOX SCORES
RALEIGH, N.C. – The West Liberty University softball team batted around in back-to-back innings Saturday afternoon en route to an 18-9 pasting of Fayetteville State (N.C.) on the first day of the inaugural Shaw University Invitational at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
    Coach Jim Bacca's Hilltoppers (1-2) dropped their other two opening day contests by identical 3-1 scores to host Shaw (N.C.) and Lees-McRae (N.C.).
    West Liberty got the bats going early against Fayetteville State, snapping a 2-2 tie with a 9-run uprising in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore catcher Jamee Burke keyed the big inning with a pair of 2-run singles as the Black and Gold sent 14 batters to the plate.
    Fayetteville State (0-5) made things interesting by plating 7 runs in the top of the third and trailed just 11-9 heading into the bottom of the frame only to see the Hilltopper bats put the game on ice with some 2-out lightning.
    After the first two batters were retired, West Liberty got 7 hits and a base on balls from the next 8 hitters to score 7 runs and arrive at the game's final margin.
    Along with Burke's matched set of 2-run singles, Maggie Starr weighed in with 2 doubles, a single and 2 RBI. Becky Fortuna chased home a pair of runs with a single and double and Angela Johnson had an RBI with a single and a double while Stacy Sumner and Alivia Swiney each added 2 singles and 2 RBI. Equitia Sayles contributed a 2-run single to the 15-hit barrage.
    The Hilltoppers had baserunners in every inning against Shaw but couldn't get anything more than a single tally in the bottom of the fifth to avoid the shutout.
    Jennifer Young had a pair of singles and drove in the only run of the game for West Liberty, which also got doubles from Emerich and Swiney in a losing cause.
    Lees-McRae (3-0) had blasted its first two opponents by a combined 37-0 earlier in the day but WLU battled the Bobcats to the wire after being touched up for three first-inning runs.
    Starr had two of the Hilltoppers' three hits while Young drove in WLU's only run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.
    The Hilltoppers are scheduled to close out the Shaw Invitational on Sunday with games against Barton (N.C.) and St. Augustine's (N.C.).
 
SOFTBALL
Shaw Softball Invitational
Shaw 3, West Liberty 1
Shaw                            003 000 0 - 3 6 0
West Liberty                000 010 0 - 1 6 0
    S: Yozza wp (2SO, 2W) and Holliday. Kelly 2S, 2rbi
    WLU: Fortuna lp (3SO, 4W), Johnson (3) (0SO, 2W), Emerich (3) (7SO, 0W) and Burke. Young 2S, rbi; Emerich D; Swiney D
 
West Liberty 18, Fayetteville State 9
Fayetteville State         027 00 -  9 10 2
West Liberty                 297 0x - 18 15 0
    FSU: Locklear (0SO, 2W), Polaschack lp (2) (2SO, 4W), Davis (4) (1SO, 1W) and Holmes. Guischard D, S, 2rbi
    WLU: Emerich (4SO, 4W), Fortuna wp (3) (3SO, 1W) and Sumner. Starr 2D, S, 2rbi; Fortuna D, S, 2rbi; Johnson D, S, rbi; Burke 2S, 4rbi; Sumner 2S, 2rbi; Swiney 2S, 2rbi; Sayles S, 2rbi
 
Lees-McRae 3, West Liberty 1
Lees-McRae                300 000 0 - 3 7 2
West Liberty                001 000 0 - 1 3 2
    LMC: Oakes wp (11SO, 2W) and Armstrong. Coley D, S
    WLU: Johnson lp (4SO, 1w), Fortuna (3) (6SO, 1w) and Sumner. Starr 2S; Fortuna S; Young rbi