Softball | 3/19/2018 7:02:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team split a Mountain East Conference doubleheader with Notre Dame Monday afternoon at the WLU Softball Complex.
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (8-6, 2-2) dropped a 7-3 verdict to the Falcons (6-11, 2-2) in the opener but rebounded with a 2-1 walk-off win in the second game.
    Freshman hurler Makenzie Amend led the way in the finale. The hard-throwing righthander held the visitors to just two hits and a single unearned run while striking out six and issuing only one walk in improving to 5-1 on the young season.
    Notre Dame scratched out an unearned run in the top of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead but Sydney Bennington knotted the score at 1-1 with a clutch two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
    Katie Beeman ignited the game-winning rally in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out double over the centerfielder's head. Beeman moved up to third on a throwing error after Kat Donzella lined out to left and came sliding home with the winning run on a wild pitch.
    Beeman led a nine-hit barrage for the Black and Gold with two singles to go along with her seventh-inning double while Katie Mullins added a pair of base knocks.
    In the opener, the visitors scored 5 runs in the top of the first and a WLU comeback effort fell short.
    West Liberty closed the deficit to 5-3 with a trio of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth but the Falcons pushed two more tallies across the plate in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
    The Hilltoppers were held to just three singles. Kelsi Johnson and Allie Cook each had a hit and an RBI.
    Weather permitting, West Liberty will host Pitt-Johnstown on Tuesday in a non-conference doubleheader. First game is set for a 3 p.m. start.
  Notre Dame                                    500 000 2 - 7  13  3
West Liberty                                    000 003 0 - 3    3  0
     NDC: Olson wp (4SO, 1W), Grajczyk (6) (0SO, 2W) and Smith, Combs (6). Hoover D, S, rbi; Rowland 3S, rbi; Stephens 2S, rbi; Crookston 2S; Lineberger 2S, rbi; Calhoun S, rbi; Smith S, rbi
     WLU: Bosley lp (0SO, 2W), Wright (1) (1SO, 2W), Sieger (7) (1SO, 1W) and A.Meloun, McConnell (7). Johnson S, rbi; Cook S, rbi
  Notre Dame                                       000 100 0 - 1  2  1
West Liberty                                      000 010 1 - 2  9  1
     NDC: Zigmont lp (5SO, 1W) and Smith. Hoover 2S
     WLU: Amend wp (6SO, 1W) and Donzella. Beeman D, 2S; Mullins 2S; Bennington S, rbi