BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader at West Virginia Wesleyan here Saturday afternoon in a meeting of Mountain East Conference division leaders at Culpepper Field.
    The South Division-leading Bobcats (26-11-1, 16-4) came from behind to pull out the win in both contests, prevailing by a 7-1 tally in the opener before rallying to a 4-3 extra-inning victory in the finale.
    In the first game, Katie Beeman followed an Annie Paterson double with a two-bagger of her own to plate Paterson and give the Hilltoppers (22-16-1, 12-7) a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.
    West Liberty starter Makenzie Amend held Wesleyan to just five hits through the first five innings but three of them came in the bottom of the fourth when the hosts pushed three runs across the plate to grab a 3-1 lead. The Bobcats touched up reliever Riley Bennington for four more runs in the bottom of the sixth – highlighted by Molly Osborne's three-run home run – to conclude the scoring.
    The doubles by Paterson and Beeman were the only hits allowed by Wesleyan's Hannah Hudson. The Bobcat ace finished off the two-hit gem with her 10th strikeout of the game in the top of the seventh.
    The second game saw West Virginia Wesleyan come from behind to tie the score in the sixth and seventh innings before winning it in the eighth.
    West Liberty had a golden opportunity to break things open early when WLU led off the top of the second with three straight singles. A bases-loaded walk scored the first run of the game and left the bases loaded with nobody out but back-to-back infield pop-ups and a swinging strikeout forced the visitors to settle for a 1-0 lead.
    Paterson carried a two-hit shutout into the sixth inning only to see Taylor Swartz lead off the frame with a game-tying home run. The Bobcats weren't finished as a single, error and sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out but Paterson struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.
    Beeman beat out a bunt single to lead off the seventh but a failed sacrifice kept her at first with one out. She didn't stay there for long as Paterson jumped on a high fastball and smoked it over the centerfield fence for a two-run home run and a 3-1 Hilltopper lead.
    The Bobcats' leadoff batter reached on a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the seventh but Paterson retired the next two batters, bringing Swartz to the plate as the last hope for the hosts. Paterson got Swartz to hit a routine grounder on the infield but the Hilltoppers couldn't make the play.
    West Liberty's third infield error of the game turned out to be the most costly. Another hit-by-pitch loaded the bases and Gracie Payne rolled a seeing-eye single up the middle to score a pair of unearned runs and send the game into extra innings.
    Hudson came on in relief to pitch the eighth inning for Wesleyan but was greeted by back-to-back singles from Jairika Baylor and Lauryn Simmons. The Bobcat senior slammed the door, wrapping a pair of strikeouts around a caught stealing to keep the visitors off the board.
    Wesleyan struck quickly in the bottom of the eighth. Leadoff batter Lauren Niglio was hit by a pitch and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt. Grace Hightower followed with a single to center and Niglio slid across the plate just ahead of the throw for the walk-off win.
    Baylor and Bennington each had a pair of hits to pace a 10-hit attack for the Black and Gold.
  West Liberty                          000 100 0 - 1  2  1
W.Va. Wesleyan                   000 304 x - 7  8  1
     WLU: Amend lp (5SO, 0W), Bennington (6) (2SO, 1W) and M.Blair. Beeman D, rbi; Paterson D
     WVW: Hudson wp (10SO, 0W) and Turner.  Turner 2S, 2rbi; Hightower 2S; Payne 2S; Osborne HR, 3rbi; Norris D, rbi;
  West Liberty                          010 000 20 - 3  10  3
W.Va. Wesleyan                   000 001 21 - 4    6  1
     WLU: Paterson lp (8SO. 3W) and M.Blair. Baylor 2S; Bennington 2S; Paterson HR, 2rbi
     WVW: A.O'Shields (1SO, 3W), Hudson wp (8) (2SO, 1W) and S.O'Shields, Posey (6). Hightower D, S, rbi; Payne S, 2rbi