SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The West Liberty University softball team split a makeup doubleheader at Notre Dame (Ohio) here Wednesday afternoon.
Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (5-19, 1-3) dropped a 6-3 decision in the opener but bounced back with a 9-7 come-from-behind victory over the Falcons (11-9, 3-1) in the finale to salvage the split.
The second game was a see-saw affair with the lead changing hands several times. Notre Dame plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-4 lead but WLU struck for five runs in the top of the sixth to take command.
Back-to-back 2-run singles by Sydney Little and Sam Simon highlighted the rally, which was capped by a two-out RBI single off the bat of Grace Swigart.
Madison Angus came on in relief to shut down a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the bottom of the sixth and retired the side in order in the 7th to earn the save. Brooke Perri got the win.
Little paced an 11-hit attack with three singles and two RBIs and Mallory Rosnick added a single and double. Jairika Baylor and Jaden Conrad smacked solo home runs.
In the first game, Riley Conkle drove in all three Hilltopper runs with a home run and double, Little slapped out a pair of singles and Kayla Mancuso doubled but it wasn't enough as Notre Dame came from behind to pull out the win.
Conkle's two-run home run in the top of the third gave WLU a 2-1 lead but it proved short-lived as the Falcons' Emma Gumont answered with a two-run shot of her own in the bottom of the frame, highlighting a three-run inning that put the hosts ahead to stay.
The West Liberty softball team returns home on Saturday to host West Virginia State in a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
SOFTBALL
Notre Dame 6, West Liberty 3
West Liberty 002 000 1 - 3 7 0
Notre Dame 103 120 x - 6 8 2
WLU: Tapman lp (5SO, 0W), Perri (0SO, 0W), Angus (0SO, 0W) and Holbrook. Conkle HR, D, 3rbi; Little 2S; Mancuso D
NDC: Weilnau wp (2SO, 3W) and Breuer. Fick HR, D, rbi; Gumont HR, S, 2rbi; Maciejowski S, rbi
West Liberty 9, Notre Dame 7
West Liberty 200 205 0 - 9 11 0
Notre Dame 103 030 0 - 7 8 3
WLU: Alford (2SO, 0W), Perri wp (0SO, 1W), Baer (0SO, 2W), Angus (1SO, 1W) and Grace. Little 3S, 2 rbi; Rosnick D, S; Conrad HR, rbi; Baylor HR, rbi; Simon S, 2rbi; Swigart S, rbi;
NDC: Fisher (6SO, 0W), Olszewski (0SO, 2W), Weilnau lp(1SO, 0W) and Breuer. Fick HR, D, S, 3rbi; Gumont HR, S, 3rbi; Wahl S, rbi; Breuer D
