CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The West Liberty University softball team split a pair of games at Queens (N.C.) University here Sunday.
Coach
Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (4-8) blanked Alderson Broaddus, 4-0, in the opener before dropping a 5-4 decision to host Queens in the final game of the day.
In the first game,
Makenzie Amend and
Taylor Bonnett combined to strike out 17 Alderson Broaddus (2-6) hitters in hurling a one-hit shutout.
Payton Barr led off bottom of the fourth with a single to center but that was it for the ABU offense. Amend dominated the Battlers through the first six innings, recording 14 of her 18 outs via strikeout. Bonnett struck out the side in relief to close things out in the bottom of the seventh.
Amend helped her own cause at the plate with a single and double while
Katie Beeman singled twice and brought home a pair of runs.
Riley Conkle had an RBI single and
Kieran Johnson doubled as part of the 10-hit attack.
In the second game, the Hilltoppers scored four runs in the top of the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. The visitors carried a 4-2 advantage into the bottom of the sixth only to see Gerlea Patterson launch a game-winning two-out, three-run homer over the left field fence for the Royals (14-11).
Sidney Little had a double, single and RBI for West Liberty while Beeman had another multi-hit game with a double and a single. Conkle singled and drove in a pair of runs and
Annie Paterson doubled.
The Hilltoppers' southern swing continues on Monday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Virginia Union in Richmond.
SOFTBALL
West Liberty 4, Alderson Broaddus 0
West Liberty 100 030 0 - 4 10 2
Alderson Broaddus 000 000 0 - 0 1 2
WLU: Amend wp (14SO, 2W), Bonnett (7) (3SO, 0W) and M.Blair. Beeman 2S, 2rbi; Amend D, S; Conkle S, rbi; Johnson D
ABU: Soblit lp (1SO, 1W), Kenne (5) (2SO, 0W) and Cross. Barr S
Queens (N.C.) 5, West Liberty 4
West Liberty 000 400 0 - 4 8 1
Queens (N.C.) 000 203 x - 5 5 0
WLU: Paterson (5SO, 3W), Bennington lp (5) (1SO, 0W) and McCroskey. Little D, S, rbi; Beeman D, S; Conkle S, 2rbi; Paterson D
QU: Hunter (3SO, 3W), McPherson wp (4) (5SO, 0W) and Hunt. Nelson D, S; Patton HR, 3rbi
