Softball | 2/9/2018 6:56:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The West Liberty University softball team got its season off to a fast start here Friday with a pair of wins in their season-opening series against a pair of CIAA squads from Queens (N.C.) and Johnson C. Smith (N.C.).
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers handed Queens a 7-2 loss in the first game of the day and followed that up by rallying to a 7-2 win against Johnson C. Smith. Queens avenged its earlier loss in the final game of the day by handing the Black and Gold a 7-3 setback.
    In the opener, the Hilltoppers scored a pair of runs in each of the first two innings and never looked back.
    Sydney Bennington crushed a 2-run home run in the top of the first and later added a single while Haley Collett highlighted a 3-run sixth inning with a 2-run double. Kat Donzella pounded out a double and single, Kate Meloun singled home two runs and Allie Cook added an RBI base knock.
    Makenzie Amend went the distance in the circle, striking out 7 while walking 3 and allowing only 4 hits to earn the win.
    The long ball also played a role in the win against Johnson C. Smith as West Liberty exploded for 7 runs in the bottom of the fifth to obliterate an early 1-0 lead for the Golden Bulls.
    A 2-run single by Charley Troggio got the ball rolling for WLU in the fifth and a pair of Johnson C. Smith errors produced another run. The Hilltoppers loaded the bases with 2 out and Katie Beeman unloaded with a grand slam to put the game out of reach.
    Kelsi Johnson led an 8-hit barrage for West Liberty with a triple and two singles while Cook, Meloun and Savanna Sieger also singled. Sieger earned the complete game win in the circle, striking out 7 while walking only two.
    The Hilltoppers pounded out 10 hits in the final game of the day but the host Royals (2-1) took advantage of three WLU errors to plate four unearned runs which proved to be the difference.
    Bennington homered again, a solo shot this time, and added a single while Johnson smacked out a pair of singles and drove in a run. Kaitlyn Stress also had a multi-hit game with two singles in a losing cause.
    The West Liberty women will return to the diamond on Saturday for a 10 a.m. game against Johnson C. Smith before heading home.
  West Liberty                                  220 003 0 – 7  10  0
Queens (N.C.)                                000 101 0 – 2    4  2
     WLU: Amend wp (7SO, 3W) and Donzella. Bennington HR, S, 2rbi; Donzella D, S; Collett D, 2rbi; K.Meloun S, 2rbi; Cook S, rbi
     QU: Pearson lp (4SO, 1W) and Hunt. Ingoldsby 2S; Lopez S, rbi; Ditto D
  Johnson C. Smith                            100 000 1 – 2  8  2
West Liberty                                     000 070 x – 7  8  1
     JCSU: Bolling lp (3SO, 4W) and Arguelles. Arguelles 2D, S, 2rbi; Harrison 2S
     WLU: Sieger wp (7SO, 2W) and McConnell. Johnson T, 2S; Beeman HR, 4rbi; Troggio S, 2rbi
  West Liberty                                  101 010 0 – 3  10  3
Queens (N.C.)                                 302 002 x – 7    9  0
     WLU: Bosley lp (1SO, 2W), Wright (3) (1SO, 2W), Amend (6) (1SO, 2W) and Donzella. Bennington HR, S, rbi; Johnson 2S, rbi; Stress 2S; K.Meloun S; Donzella S; Higginbotham S; Beeman S
     QU: Celeberti wp (7SO, 2W) and Hunt. Lathan HR, S, 3rbi; Ingoldsby 2S; Strickler 2S; Lopez S, rbi