Cardinals Survive West Liberty Comeback

Softball | 4/26/2017 7:56:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team dropped both ends of a Mountain East Conference doubleheader to Wheeling Jesuit Wednesday afternoon at the WLU Softball Complex.
Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (14-28, 7-21) fell by an 11-4 count in the first game before forcing the Cardinals (19-23, 13-15) to hang on for an 8-6 win in the finale.
In the opener, West Liberty scored twice in the bottom of the first to grab a quick 2-0 lead but couldn't hang on as Jesuit pounded out 14 hits – including a trio of 3-run homers – to earn the win.
Kylee Ensign led the Hilltopper attack with a double and a single while Nicole Chris, Kelsi Johnson and Taylor Wright all singled and drove in a run.
The Cardinals wasted little time breaking out the long ball in the second game as Wheeling Jesuit led off the top of the first with three straight singles to load the bases before Courtney Rogers ripped a grand slam over the left field fence.
Four more hits and an error put WJU up 7-0 before the Black and Gold came to the plate.
That ultimately proved to be too deep a hole for West Liberty to overcome but WLU made things interesting down the stretch.
After the Cardinals stretched the margin to 8-0 with a single tally in the top of the third, the Hilltoppers hit the comeback trail.
West Liberty scored one run in the bottom of the fourth, added two more in the fifth and Chris' 2-run single highlighted a three-run uprising in the sixth that pulled the hosts within striking distance at 8-6.
The Hilltoppers had the tying runs in scoring position with two out in the frame but the Cardinals' third pitcher of the inning ended the threat with a groundout and retired the side in order in the seventh to finish off the sweep.
Damia Mogielski had a huge game for WLU with two doubles, a single and two RBIs. Johnson singled twice and drove in a run while Nicki Mihalik also had a pair of hits.
West Liberty hits the road on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Notre Dame in South Euclid, Ohio.

SOFTBALL
Wheeling Jesuit 11, West Liberty 4
Wheeling Jesuit 033 101 3 - 11 14 1
West Liberty 201 000 1 - 4 7 1
WJU: Chapman wp (4SO, 2W) and Ledbetter. Achille HR, 2S, 4rbi; Rogers D, 2S; Grimes 2S; Miller HR, 2rbi; Chapman HR, 2rbi; Holstein S, rbi
WLU: Sieger lp (0SO, 0W), Thompson (2) (0SO, 1W), Wright (3) (0SO, 3W), Hall (5) (2SO, 1W) and Troggio. Ensign D, S; Chris S, rbi; Johnson S, rbi; Wright S, rbi; Troggio D

Wheeling Jesuit 8, West Liberty 6
Wheeling Jesuit 701 000 0 - 8 13 1
West Liberty 000 123 0 - 6 12 1
WJU: Chapman wp (2SO, 2W), Rogers (6) (0SO, 0W), Unterbrink (6) (0SO, 0W) and Ledbetter. Cramer 4S, 2rbi; Holstein D, 2S; Chapman 2S; Rogers GSHR, 4rbi; Achille D, rbi
WLU: Bosley lp (0SO, 1W), Thompson (3) (2SO, 1W) and Mogielski. Mogielski 2D, S, 2rbi; Johnson 2S, rbi; Mihalik 2S; Chris S, 2rbi

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