WHEELING, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team split a Mountain East Conference doubleheader with West Virginia State Saturday afternoon at the Wheeling Park softball diamond.

    Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (6-20, 2-4) pulled away to a 7-4 victory in the opener but the Yellow Jackets (10-9, 4-2) took a 6-1 decision in the finale.

    In the first game, West Liberty overcame a pair of early two-run deficits and six fielding errors to pick up the win.

    The Hilltoppers went ahead to stay, 5-4, with a three-run uprising in the bottom of the third, keyed by a 2-run double off the bat of Mallory Rosnick.

    Madison Angus came on in relief to get the final two outs of the third inning and tacked on three more frames of shutout ball to get the win. Ashlyn Tapman hurled a scoreless seventh to earn the save.

    Rosnick had a double and a single while Jaden Conrad drove in a run with a pair of singles to pace WLU's 8-hit attack. Jairika Baylor had an RBI triple in the bottom of the second.

    West Virginia State grabbed a quick 3-0 lead after the first two innings and Autumn Thompson took care of the rest. The Yellow Jacket ace scattered seven hits while holding the Hilltoppers to just one run in a 7-inning complete-game effort. Thompson also helped her cause at the plate with a pair of home runs, including a 3-run blast that put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh.

    Baylor had a triple and single for West Liberty while Kayla Mancuso singled twice. Kylie Imes worked a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the third to force in the Hilltoppers' only run.

    West Liberty returns to the WLU Softball Complex today to host the University of Charleston in another MEC doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

SOFTBALL

West Liberty 7, W.Va. State 4

W.Va. State              112 000 0 - 4  8  1

West Liberty             023 011 x - 7  8  6

     WVS: Murphy lp (3SO, 2W) and Baron. Ruth D, 2S, rbi; Pauley HR, S, rbi; Thompson 2S, 2rbi

     WLU: Alford (2SO, 0W), Angus wp (1SO, 1W), Tapman (1SO, 0W) and Holbrook. Rosnick D, S, 3rbi; Conrad 2S, rbi; Baylor T, rbi

W.Va. State 6, West Liberty 1

W.Va. State              210 000 3 - 6  9  2

West Liberty             001 000 0 - 1  7  3

     WVS: Thompson wp (4SO, 3W) and Moon. Thompson 2HR, 4rbi; Ruth 2S; Murphy 2S; McClain S, rbi

     WLU: Perri lp (0SO, 0W), Morgan (0SO, 2W), Baer (0SO, 0W), Simon (0SO, 0W) and Blair, Holbrook. Baylor T, S; Mancuso 2S; Imes rbi