FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team came out on the short end of a Mountain East Conference doubleheader at Fairmont State on Monday.
    The host Falcons (8-2, 4-2) handed Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (8-8, 4-4) a 7-2 setback in the first game before hanging on for a 3-2 win in the finale.
    In the opener, Fairmont State snapped a 2-2 deadlock with five unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth and WLU couldn't recover. Annie Paterson took the hard-luck loss despite striking out 13 and giving up only five hits. Connor Assif had a two-run single in the top of the fourth for West Liberty.
    In the second game, the hosts used a solo homer in the second inning and a two-run blast in the fourth to go up 3-0 and the Hilltoppers' comeback effort fell one run short.
    Kat Donzella, who went 3-for-3 at the plate in Game Two, put West Liberty on the board with an RBI double in the top of the fifth and Makayla Blair pulled the visitors within a run with another run-scoring two-bagger in the sixth but they could come no closer.
    Kieran Johnson added a pair of singles in a losing cause. Riley Bennington went the distance in the circle, striking out 10 and walking three in her six-inning stint.
    The Hilltoppers head back out on the road Friday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Frostburg State.
     West Liberty                                     000 200 0 – 2  4  1
Fairmont State                                 002 050 x – 7  7  1
     WLU: Paterson lp (13SO, 3W), Bonnett (0SO, 0W) and Donzella. Assif S, 2rbi
     FSU: Chastain wp (6SO, 1W), Kassay (3SO, 1W) and Baughman. Cosgrove T, S, 2rbi; Worcester D, S, 2rbi; McDaniel 2S; Riggs S, 2rbi
  West Liberty                                     000 011 0 – 2  8  0
Fairmont State                                 010 200 x – 3  5  1
     WLU: Bennington lp (10SO, 3W) and Donzella. Donzella D, 2S, rbi; Johnson 2S; Blair D, rbi
     FSU: Cosgrove wp (2SO, 0W), Kassay (2SO, 0W) and Baughman. Tolle HR, 2rbi; Baughman HR, rbi