WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The surging West Liberty University softball team celebrated Senior Day with its 12th straight win here Saturday, sweeping a Mountain East Conference doubleheader from Davis & Elkins by identical 2-0 tallies at the WLU Softball Complex.
    Current seniors Makenzie Amend, Conner Assif, Haley Collett, Allie Cook and Laral Saunders were honored by head coach Herb Minch and their teammates in Senior Day ceremonies prior to the game. In addition, WLU athletic director Lynn Ullom was on hand to present Coach Minch with a commemorative game ball in recognition of achieving his 500th career win on the road at Concord last weekend.
    Pitching was the name of the game for Coach Minch and his Hilltoppers (21-9, 13-5) on Saturday as Makenzie Amend, Riley Bennington and Annie Paterson combined to hold the Senators (7-13, 7-13) to seven singles in 14 scoreless innings while recording 24 strikeouts and issuing just one base on balls.
    Amend certainly set the tone in the opener as the former All-Region ace scattered three harmless singles, didn't walk a batter and recorded 15 of her 21 outs via the strikeout route in a complete-game gem. Davis & Elkins never got a runner past second base.
    Laral Saunders manufactured a run without benefit of a hit in the top of the first. After working a walk to lead off the game, the senior left fielder stole second and then stole third, trotting home to score when the throw got away from the third baseman.
    Kat Donzella and Katie Beeman roped out back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fifth to conclude the scoring. Beeman had a single to go along with her run-scoring double while Madge Weidner picked up a pair of singles in WLU's seven-hit attack.
    The Hilltoppers were held to just four hits in the second game but made the most of them. Kieran Johnson broke up a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth and Donzella cranked a two-out RBI double to the wall in the fifth to add an insurance tally.
    Bennington worked the first six innings in the circle for the win, striking out six while surrendering four hits and no walks. Paterson walked the first batter she saw in the seventh but struck out the next three to earn the save.
    The West Liberty women return to the WLU Softball Complex on Sunday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against West Virginia Wesleyan.
     Davis & Elkins                                   000 000 0 – 0  3  2
West Liberty                                     100 010 x – 2  7  1
     D&E: Evans lp (6SO, 2W) and Holt.
     WLU: Amend wp (15SO, 0W) and Donzella. Beeman D, S, rbi; Weidner 2S; Donzella D
  Davis & Elkins                                   000 000 0 – 0  4  1
West Liberty                                     000 110 x – 2  4  1
     D&E: Grindstaff lp (4SO, 2W) and Holt.
     WLU: Bennington wp (6SO, 0W), Paterson (7) (3SO, 1W) and Donzella. Donzella D, rbi; Johnson S, rbi