Softball | 2/21/2020 10:17:00 PM
Box Score WESTFIELD, Ind. – The West Liberty University softball team opened its season in impressive fashion here Friday with a 5-0 shutout of Bellarmine (Ky.) in the Midwest Regional Crossover at the Grand Park Complex.
Returning All-MEC third baseman
Allie Cook drove in three runs with a triple and a single while a trio of Hilltopper pitchers turned in a dominant performance in the circle.
Makenzie Amend worked the first three innings for the win, striking out six while walking two and giving up only one hit. Annie Paterson scattered three hits over the next three frames while fanning four and walking one.
Riley Bennington worked a scoreless seventh inning to complete the shutout.
Laral Saunders put the Black and Gold on the board in the bottom of the first with a two-out RBI single up the middle to bring home Cook, who had led off the inning with a walk.
The Hilltoppers broke it open with a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth.
Saunders singled, stole second and scored on a Connor Assif single. After a base on balls put runners on first and second with two out, Cook ripped a triple to right field to score both baserunners and push the lead out to 4-0. Cook added an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to conclude the scoring.
Assif and Saunders each had two singles and an RBI while
Kelly Mullins reached base all three times on walks and scored a run.
The Hilltoppers, who picked up 16 votes in the most recent NCAA Division II coaches' Top 25, return to Grand Park for a pair of games on Saturday. West Liberty takes on Ohio Dominican at 11 a.m. before a much-anticipated 3 p.m. showdown with No. 10-ranked Indianapolis.
SOFTBALL
West Liberty 5, Bellarmine 0
Bellarmine (Ky.) 000 000 0 – 0 5 0
West Liberty 100 301 x – 5 6 2
BU: Knies lp (2SO, 2W), Magnus (5) (1SO, 2W), Terral (6) and Young. Ratterman D
WLU: Amend wp (6SO, 2W), Paterson (4) (4SO, 1W), Bennington (7) (0SO, 0W) and Donzella. Cook T, S, 3rbi; Saunders 2S, rbi; Assif 2S, rbi
