Softball | 2/10/2019 6:07:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2     HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The West Liberty University softball team came out on the short end in a pair of slugfests here Sunday on the final day of the Charger Chillout Tournament, hosted by the University of Alabama-Huntsville at the Huntsville Sportsplex.
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (2-4) jumped out to an early lead against No. 11-ranked UA-Huntsville in the first game only to see the hosts come storming back to claim a 13-6 decision. West Alabama held off a late West Liberty surge in the second contest to hang on for 7-5 win.
    In the first game, the Hilltoppers pounded out 10 hits but couldn't find a way to shut down the high-powered Chargers (8-4), who scored in every inning but the second to pull away for the win.
    Kat Donzella led the West Liberty attack, coming up a home run shy of the cycle with a single, double, triple and two RBIs. Sydney Bennington also had a three-hit game with a double and two singles while Kate Meloun smacked out a pair of singles and Katie Beeman singled and drove in a run.
    In the final game, West Alabama jumped on WLU for five runs in the top of the first but the Hilltoppers got back in the game with single tallies in the first and fourth frames.
    The Tigers (6-5) tried to put the game on ice with two more runs in the top of the sixth but West Liberty responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and brought the tying run to the plate with none out in the seventh only to run out of steam.
    It was another 10-hit game for the Black and Gold as Kate Meloun went 4-for-4, driving in two runs with three singles and a triple, with twin sister Audrey Meloun adding two singles. Donzella doubled home another run, Beeman came through with a two-run single and Riley Bennington tripled in a losing cause.
    After a two-week layoff, the WLU softball team heads south again on Feb. 22-23 to compete in the Swamp Fox Sizzler Tournament, hosted by Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C.
  West Liberty            202 020 0 –   6  10  2
UA-Huntsville          305 212 x – 13  12  2
     WLU: Amend lp (0SO, 5W), Lightner (3) (1SO, 1W), Bonnett (6) (0SO, 2W), R.Bennington (6) (0SO, 1W) and Donzella. Donzella T, D, S, 2rbi; S.Bennington D, 2S; K.Meloun 2S; Beeman S, rbi
     UAH: Deaton (0SO, 0W), Uhlman wp (3SO, 0W) and Hampton. Booker 3S, D, 4rbi; Sanders 2S; Long HR, rbi; Cornell HR, rbi; Hammond S, rbi; Nutt S, rbi
  West Alabama          500 002 0 – 7  11  1
West Liberty              100 103 0 – 5  10  3
     UWA: Noland (0SO, 0W), Lay wp (3) (1SO, 4W), Mills (6) (2SO, 0W) and Craft. Goldsmith 2S, 3rbi; Johnson 2S; Hunt S, 2rbi; Parris 2S, rbi; Hague S, rbi
     WLU: R.Bennington lp (1SO, 1W), Amend (7) (3SO, 0W) and A.Meloun. K.Meloun T, 3S, 2rbi; A.Meloun 2S; Donzella D, rbi; Beeman S, 2rbi; R.Bennington T