WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team split a West Virginia Conference doubleheader with Ohio Valley on Wednesday, dropping a 5-4 heartbreaker in the opener before rallying to a 7-5 win in the finale.

In the opener, the Hilltoppers (11-27, 3-10) found themselves on the short end of a 5-1 score with two on and two out in the bottom of the seventh before making a surge.

Maggie Starr doubled home both runners with a drive to centerfield and pinch-hitter Taylor Zeiger followed with a  single up the middle to plate Starr, cutting the gap to 5-4 before OVU (16-17, 6-9) got the final out to preserve the win.

Starr led the hosts with a double, single and two RBIs while Stacy Sumner, Jenn Young and Sara Emerich all doubled in a losing cause.

West Liberty's comeback efforts were rewarded in the second game when WLU scored four times in the bottom of the fifth to erase a 5-3 deficit and salvage the split.

Sumner ignited the winning rally with a two-run double that tied the game at 5-5. Young put the Hilltoppers ahead to stay with an RBI single and came around to score later in the inning on Janea Cockrell's RBI base knock.

Sumner drove in three runs with a single and double while Felicia Hulslander raked out a pair of doubles to pace the WLU attack.

West Liberty hosts perennial PSAC power California (Pa.) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday.

SOFTBALL

Ohio Valley 5, West Liberty 4

Ohio Valley 040 000 1 – 5  7  2

West Liberty 000 001 3 – 4  7  1

OVU: Southall wp (5SO, 2W), Bailey (0SO, 0W) and Oprins. Wallace D, S, 2rbi

WLU: Creamer lp (0SO, 2W), Emerich (4SO, 2W) and Burke. Starr D, S, 2rbi; Sumner D, rbi; Young D; Emerich D; Zeiger S, rbi

West Liberty 7, Ohio Valley 5

Ohio Valley 030 020 0 – 5  7  0

West Liberty 111 040 x – 7  9  2

OVU: Southall lp (6SO, 2W), Wallace (0SO, 0W) and Oprins. Wallace 2S, 2rbi; Vinesett 2S; Miller S, rbi; Oprins S, rbi

WLU: Johnson wp (4SO, 6W) and Sumner. Hulslander 2D, S; Sumner D, S, 3rbi; Young S, 2rbi; Cockrell S, rbi