Softball | 3/12/2014 10:06:00 AM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2     CLERMONT, Fla. - The West Liberty University softball team had trouble stringing its hits together on Tuesday and dropped a pair of games at the National Training Center Softball Complex.
    Coach Jim Bacca's Hilltoppers (4-6) fell to Winona State, Minn. by a 9-1 count before absorbing a 6-2 setback at the hands of Bentley, Mass.
    West Liberty smacked out six hits – four for extra-bases – in the loss to Winona State but the Hilltoppers' only run came in the third frame on back-to-back doubles by Maggie Starr and Kaylyn Hanby.
    The Minnesota team grabbed an early lead with a pair of unearned runs before breaking open a close game with five runs in the top of the sixth. Nikki Mihalik and Allyson Johnson each had triples for WLU.
    In the second game, West Liberty stroked out seven singles with Starr's RBI base knock finally putting the Hilltoppers on the board in the top of the fourth. WLU added an unearned run later in the frame but couldn't push anything across in the final two frames.
    West Liberty will wrap up its stay at the NTC on Friday with morning games against Nyack (N.Y.) and the University of Bridgeport (Conn.).
 
SOFTBALL
Winona State 9, West Liberty 1
Winona State               030 015 - 9  9  0
West Liberty                 001 000 - 1  6  2
    WSU: Lythberg wp (6SO, 1W) and Kullman. Lintz D, S, 4rbi
    WLU: Mihalik lp (3SO, 5W) and Burke. Hanby D, rbi; Mihalik T; Johnson T; Starr D
 
Bentley 6, West Liberty 2
West Liberty              000 020 0 - 2  7  3
Bentley                      220 110 x - 6  9  1
    WLU: Creamer lp (1SO, 6W), Mihalik (5) (2SO, 3W) and Mogielski. Starr S, rbi
    B: McDevitt wp (1SO, 0W), Ferris (6) (2SO, 0W) and Tarantino. Vena 3S; McDonough T, 4rbi