Softball | 3/18/2018 6:53:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

    URBANA, Ohio – The West Liberty University softball team split a Mountain East Conference season-opening doubleheader at Urbana on Sunday.
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (7-5, 1-1) saw the Blue Knights (3-15, 1-1) rally to a 5-4 win in the opener but bounced back with a 4-2 victory in the second game to salvage the split.
    Freshman hurler Makenzie Amend went the distance in the second game to improve to 4-1 on the season. Amend yielded only one earned run in her seven innings of work while striking out six and giving up four walks.
    Kelsi Johnson paced a 10-hit attack for WLU, chasing home two runs with a double and a single. Kate Meloun had two singles and an RBI while Kat Donzella had two hits and scored a pair of runs. Sydney Bennington smacked out her third double of the day.
    In the opener, Urbana came from behind with single tallies in the sixth and seventh frames to pull out the win in a see-saw affair.
    The Blue Knights had scored three runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 3-0 lead but WLU scored a run in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth frames to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth.
    After the hosts tied it with an RBI triple in the sixth, the Hilltoppers left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and Urbana ripped back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the frame to take the nod.
    Bennington doubled twice and drove in a run for WLU while Kelly Mullins picked up two RBIs with a single and a double. Katie Beeman and Charli McConnell each singled and drove in a run.
    West Liberty will host Notre Dame on Monday in a 2 p.m. twinbill at the WLU Softball Complex.
  West Liberty                                    001 111 0 - 4    8  1
Urbana                                              300 001 1 - 5  10  3
     WLU: Wright (2SO, 2W), Sieger lp (4) (4SO, 1W) and Troggio, McConnell (4). Bennington 2D, rbi; Mullins D, S, 2rbi; Beeman S, rbi; McConnell S, rbi
     Urb: Pate wp (4SO, 2W) and Jackson. Faulkner D, 2S, rbi; VanHoose 2S; Jackson D, 2rbi; Bonno D, rbi; Bamber T, rbi; Holtz D
  West Liberty                                   002 100 1 - 4  10  3
Urbana                                              100 100 0 - 2    8  4
     WLU: Amend wp (6SO, 4W) and Donzella. Johnson D, S, 2rbi; K.Meloun 2S, rbi; Donzella 2S; Bennington D
     Urb: Allen lp (6SO, 0W) and Faulkner. Bonno 2S; Bamber 2S; VanHoose D, rbi; Holtz D