Softball | 4/12/2018 7:42:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Kelsi Johnson singled home the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning here Thursday to give the West Liberty University softball team a thrilling 2-1 victory against Shepherd at a windswept WLU Softball Complex.
    The visiting Rams (21-11, 12-6) pulled out a 3-1 win in the finale to salvage a split with Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (13-18, 6-12) in the tightly-played twinbill.
    With winds gusting over 30 mph blowing straight in from the outfield, runs were at a premium for both teams on the afternoon, moving the pitchers onto center stage.
    West Liberty freshman ace Makenzie Amend found the spotlight to her liking in the opener, hurling all 11 innings for the complete game win with seven strikeouts and four walks.
    The Hilltoppers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second with some adventurous baserunning.
    Kelly Mullins drew a leadoff walk, took off for second on a wild pitch and took off for third when the catcher's throw back to the pitcher sailed over her head and rolled into the outfield. The throw from the centerfielder slammed into the screen in front of the third base dugout and Mullins sprinted home.
    Shepherd came up with a 2-out RBI single in the top of the fifth but Amend pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the game tied at 1-1.
    After dodging a few more bullets with some clutch defensive work, West Liberty finally got the walk-off win in the 11th.
    With the extra-inning tiebreaking format in effect, pinch-runner Skylar Minzler was placed on second base and was sacrificed to third by Katie Beeman. Johnson then laid down a perfect bunt to bring Minzler home with the game-winner.
    The Hilltoppers' defense let them down in the finale as five West Liberty errors led to a pair of unearned runs for the Rams and the hosts couldn't climb all the way back.
    Shepherd's Cheyenne Van Pelt carried a two-hit shutout into the bottom of the seventh but the Black and Gold didn't go down without a fight.
    A walk and hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second and Skylar Fankhauser – who had doubled in the second inning off Van Pelt – spoiled the shutout bid with an RBI single. Van Pelt escaped with no further damage to earn the complete game win.
    West Liberty returns to the WLU Softball Complex on Friday afternoon for an MEC doubleheader against West Virginia Wesleyan.
  Shepherd                                000 010 000 00 - 1  6  2
West Liberty                           010 000 000 01 - 2  4  1
     Shep: Sturgill (1SO, 2W), Stocks lp (12SO, 1W) and Taylor. Cox S, rbi; Taylor D
     WLU: Amend wp (7SO, 4W) and Donzella. Johnson S, rbi
  Shepherd                                            000 210 0 - 3  4  0
West Liberty                                      000 000 1 - 1  3  5
     Shep: Van Pelt wp (3SO, 0W) and Taylor, Weaver (7). Brown D, S
     WLU: Amend (1SO, 2W), Wright lp (4) (1SO, 0W), Sieger (4) (2SO, 2W) and Troggio, McConnell (4). Fankhauser D, S, rbi