MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Liberty University pitching staff turned in a dominant performance here Thursday in sweeping a softball doubleheader from Salem (W.Va.) at Mylan Park.
    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (10-8) held the Tigers (4-12) to just one hit on the day in posting back-to-back shutout wins by scores of 14-0 and 5-0.
    In the opener, Makenzie Amend and Annie Paterson teamed up on a no-hitter and West Liberty exploded for a combined dozen runs in the fourth and fifth frames to invoke the 5-inning "mercy rule." Amend and Paterson combined for 9 strikeouts with just one walk in the circle.
    The Hilltoppers pounded out a dozen hits in the 5-inning contest. Grace Swigart homered and doubled to chase home a pair of runs while Katie Beeman picked up three RBIs on a pair of singles. Riley Bennington added a single and double, Anna Welsh doubled and drove in three runs, Lauren Garcia ha d a two-run double and Amend and Riley Conkle each had run-scoring singles.
    Solo homers by Welsh and Savannah Holbrook staked Taylor Bonnett to an early lead in the second game and the Hilltoppers tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh to complete the sweep.
    Bonnett and Bennington teamed up on a one-hit shutout with Bonnett working the first four innings for the win and Bennington collecting the save with three innings of hitless relief. Salem's only hit of the day was a two-out single up the middle by Ricki Garay in the bottom of the first.
    Jairika Baylor delivered a two-run single to spark WLU's three-run uprising in the top of the seventh. Beeman capped the rally with a run-scoring single.
    The West Liberty softball team has moved Saturday's scheduled home doubleheader against Notre Dame (Ohio) to Monday at noon and 2 p.m. due to the unfavorable weather forecast. The Hilltoppers will host Alderson Broaddus on Sunday in an MEC doubleheader with games at 1 and 3 p.m.
  West Liberty                          200 84 – 14  12  0
Salem (W.Va.)                       000 00 –   0    0  1
     WLU: Amend (5SO, 1W), Paterson wp (4) (4SO, 0W) and M.Blair, Holbrook (4). Swigart HR, D, 2rbi; Beeman 2S, 3rbi; Bennington D, S; Welsh D, 3rbi; Garcia D, 2rbi; Amend S, rbi; Conkle S, rbi
     SU: Arroyo lp (4SO, 1W), Villar (4) (1SO, 0W), Gallegos (5) (1SO, 0W) and McCrary.
  West Liberty                          002 000 3 – 5  6  0
Salem (W.Va.)                       000 000 0 – 0  1  0
     WLU: Bonnett wp (3SO, 0W), Bennington (5) (2SO, 0W) and Holbrook. Holbrook HR, S, rbi; Welsh HR, rbi; Baylor S, 2rbi; Beeman S, rbi
     SU: M.Arroyo (0SO, 0W), A.Arroyo lp (2) (2SO, 5W), Gallegos (7) (1SO, 2W) and Turner. Garay S