WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team picked up a  pair of statement wins Thursday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader from No. 20-ranked Shepherd in a battle of regionally-ranked Mountain East Conference rivals at the WLU Softball Complex.
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (26-15, 18-6), ranked No. 4 in the Atlantic Region, got things started with a 7-0 shutout of the Rams (32-10, 20-6) in the opener before rallying to a 4-3 extra-inning win in the finale. Shepherd entered the game as the region's No. 2-ranked team.
    Freshman southpaw Anna Paterson fired a 5-hit shutout to lead the way for the Black and Gold in the first game and another freshman, Riley Bennington, held the powerful Shepherd lineup at bay through nine full innings to earn the complete-game win in the nightcap.
    "What a great job by our two freshman pitchers," Minch said after seeing his young squad collect its ninth win in the last 10 games. "Shepherd is a very good hitting team but time and again Anna and Riley made quality pitches when they needed them."
    In the opener, Paterson held the Rams to just four singles and a double while striking out five and issuing only two walks in an impressive performance. Her second-inning RBI single provided all the offensive support she would need but there was plenty more where that came from.
    Sydney Bennington and Katie Beeman delivered back-to-back two-out RBI singles in the bottom of the third to make it 3-0 before WLU broke the game open in the fourth.
    With two out in the fourth, the Hilltoppers loaded the bases on a walk, hit-by-pitch and a single. All three runners scored on back-to-back Shepherd errors, doubling the margin to 6-0. Haley Collett closed out the scoring with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
    Kate Meloun laced out three singles and scored three runs while Allie Cook singled and scored twice for the hosts. Beeman also had a multi-hit game with a double to go along with her RBI single.
    In the second game, Audrey Meloun fouled off back-to-back 3-2 pitches with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth before drawing a walk to force in the game-winning run, completing a thrilling comeback for the Hilltoppers.
    Shepherd's Lindsey Anderson had given the visitors a 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth but West Liberty wasted no time getting something going in the bottom of the frame.
    The Hilltoppers caught a break when the leadoff batter went down on strikes but scampered to first when the pitch bounced away from the catcher. Beeman and Paterson wrapped singles around a strikeout to load the bases with one out and bring Kelly Mullins to the plate.
    Mullins smoked a single through the left side of the infield to tie the game and keep the bases loaded, setting the stage for Audrey Meloun's clutch at-bat.
    Paterson was the only WLU player with a multi-hit game, lacing out a double and a single, while Riley Bennington worked her way out of several jams to earn the complete-game win. Bennington scattered nine hits while striking out three and walking two and stranding 10 Shepherd baserunners.
    "I'm very proud of my team," Minch said. "That's two great wins for our program that were total team wins with contributions from multiple players up and down the line. We're playing pretty well right now but we need to maintain our focus and finish strong down the stretch."
    The West Liberty women return to the WLU Softball Complex on Monday for a 3 p.m. doubleheader against Fairmont State.