WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Makenzie Amend just missed a no-hitter and the West Liberty University softball team posted back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader sweep of Seton Hill (Pa.) Tuesday afternoon at the WLU Softball Complex.
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (6-9) rode Amend's strong right arm to a 3-0 win in the first game while a trio of freshmen were nearly as dominant in the second game as West Liberty finished off the visiting Griffins (9-4) with a 7-0 shutout.
    A returning All-Region sophomore, Amend was in control throughout in the opener. The hard-throwing righthander carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Seton Hill's Abbie Thrower led off the frame with a double to the left-center gap.
    Amend shook off the hit and set the next three batters down in order – picking up two more strikeouts along the way – to complete a one-hit shutout.
    Seton Hill got only three balls out of the infield throughout the game and never got a runner past second base as the Hilltopper ace finished with 14 strikeouts and 3 walks.
    Katie Beeman put West Liberty ahead to stay with an RBI single in the third inning and Kat Donzella provided more than enough breathing room with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. Kate Meloun pounded out three singles.
    Riley Bennington, Anna Paterson and Taylor Bonnett combined to hold Seton Hill to just three singles in the finale while striking out 9 and giving up only one walk. Bennington had 8 strikeouts, no walks and gave up just 2 singles through the first five innings to earn the win with Patterson and Bonnett teaming up for the last six outs.
    The Hilltopper bats provided plenty of support. Paterson clubbed a 2-out, 2-run home run in the third and added another single while Katie Beeman had a double, single and RBI and Donzella went 2-for-2 with an RBI.
    Riley Bennington helped her own cause with an RBI double while sister Sydney Bennington picked up 2 RBIs on a pair of sacrifice flies.
    West Liberty hits the road on Saturday for another non-conference doubleheader, taking on Shippensburg (Pa.) in a 1 p.m. twinbill.