Softball | 4/10/2018 8:44:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

    WHEELING, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team dropped a pair of tightly-played contests to Ohio County rival Wheeling Jesuit Tuesday afternoon at the J.B. Chambers Softball Complex.
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (11-15, 5-11) came out on the short end of a 2-1 count in the first game before the host Cardinals (14-17, 10-6) picked up a 2-0 win in the finale.
    In the opener, Wheeling Jesuit snapped a 1-1 tie with one out in the bottom of the seventh to break up a pitcher's duel between WLU freshman Makenzie Amend and WJU senior Mallory Chapman.
    Amend gave up a single run in the bottom of the first but the aces traded zeros the rest of the way until the Hilltoppers came up with the equalizer in the top of the sixth.
    Taylor Wright relieved Amend with one out and two on in the bottom of the seventh. After a wild pitch put runners on second and third, the next batter smacked a comebacker to the mound and the WJU baserunner slid in just ahead of the tag with the game-winner.
    Amend scattered six singles while striking out 9 and walking 7. Chapman held the Black and Gold to three singles - two by Kelsi Johnson - while striking out 12 and not walking a batter.
    In the nightcap, the Hilltoppers mounted several threats but couldn't break through against WJU's Erin Unterbrink. The Cardinal hurler struck out 5 and walked one while firing a 6-hit shutout.
    Wright, Amend and Savanna Sieger teamed up in the circle to spin a 5-hitter for West Liberty but Wheeling Jesuit was able to scratch out single tallies in the third and fourth frames to complete the sweep. Allie Cook had a pair of singles to pace the WLU attack while Kaitlyn Stress added a double in a losing cause.
    The Hilltoppers return home to host Shepherd on Thursday in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at the WLU Softball Complex.
  West Liberty                                      000 001 0 - 1  3  0
Wheeling Jesuit                                100 000 1 - 2  6  2
     WLU: Amend lp (9SO, 7W), Wright (7) (0SO, 0W) and Donzella. Johnson 2S
     WJU: Chapman wp (12SO, 0W) and Scott. Holstein 3S; Scott S, 2rbi
  West Liberty                                      000 000 0 - 0  6  1
Wheeling Jesuit                                001 100 x - 2  5  0
     WLU: T.Wright lp (1SO, 3W), Amend (3) (4SO, 2W), Sieger (5) (1SO, 0W) and Troggio, McConnell (5). Cook 2S; Stress D
     WJU: Unterbrink wp (5SO, 1W) and Scott. DiPerna T, S; Holstein S, rbi