WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – A pair of seventh-inning comebacks came up short Saturday afternoon as West Liberty dropped both ends of a West Virginia Conference doubleheader to Shepherd by scores of 9-7 and 7-5 at the WLU Softball Complex.

In the opener, the Rams (13-17, 4-2) scored three runs with two out in the top of the fifth to snap a 6-6 tie.

West Liberty (7-21, 0-6) put runners on base in the fifth and sixth but couldn't break through again until the seventh. That's when Janae Cockrell's one-out RBI single closed the gap to 9-7 and put the tying runs on base but Shepherd got out of the jam with a game-ending double play.

Leanna McMillen had a triple and single for the hosts while Felicia Hulslander added a double and a single. Cockrell chased home two runs with a pair of singles and Stacy Sumner chipped in with two hits and an RBI.

Shepherd appeared to be cruising in the second game as the visitors took a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh but once more the Hilltoppers refused to go quietly.

With two out and two on, Kalyn Hanby kept the hosts alive with a two-run single that cut the lead to 7-3. West Liberty added two more runs on a Shepherd error, bringing the tying run to the plate but the Rams got the final out on an infield grounder to wrap up the sweep.

Sumner had another big game at the plate for Coach Jim Bacca's Hilltoppers, smacking out three singles and driving in a run. Maggie Starr and Taylor Zeiger backed Sumner with two singles each.

West Liberty is back in action at home Sunday when the Hilltoppers host Seton Hill in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.

SOFTBALL

Shepherd 9, West Liberty 7

Shepherd 024 030 0 – 9  9  1

West Liberty 303 000 1 – 7  9  1

Shep: Lyons (0SO, 2W), Biggs wp (1SO, 5W) and Schmidt. Schmidt HR, S, 2rbi; Mason D, S, 3rbi; Snyder D, S, rbi; Plunkett HR, 2rbi; Biondillo S, rbi

WLU: Emerich lp (3SO, 4W) and Sumner. McMillen T, S; Hulslander D, S; Cockrell 2S, 2rbi; Sumner 2S, rbi

Shepherd 7, West Liberty 5

Shepherd 200 041 0 – 7  14  1

West Liberty 100 000 4 – 5    8  0

Shep: Lyons wp (4SO, 2W) and Schmidt. Taylor D, 2S, rbi; Snyder D, S, rbi; Schmidt 2S, 2rbi; Bolton 2S, rbi; Schaefer 2S, rbi; Plunkett S, rbi

WLU: Johnson lp (6SO, 2W) and Burke. Sumner 3S, rbi; Starr 2S; Zeiger 2S; Hanby S, 2rbi;