WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team lost a Mountain East Conference doubleheader to Frostburg State Monday afternoon at the WLU Softball Complex.

    The Bobcats (21-10, 8-6) handed Coach Herb Minch's Hilltoppers (10-24, 6-8) a 7-0 shutout in the opener and survived a late rally in the finale to hang on for a 4-3 win.

    In the first game, a West Liberty error opened the door to a 5-run second inning for Frostburg – four of the runs were unearned – and Bobcat pitcher Sydney Theobald took care of the rest.

    Theobald hurled a complete-game 4-hit shutout, striking out seven WLU batters without issuing a walk. Riley Conkle accounted for half of the Hilltoppers' hits with a double and single.

    West Liberty plated a pair of first-inning runs in the second game to grab an early 2-0 lead but the Bobcats chipped away with single tallies in the second, fourth and fifth frames to take a 3-2 lead into the sixth.

    The Hilltoppers threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with none out, but a strikeout and double play allowed Frostburg State to get out of the jam unscathed. An unearned run in the top of the seventh put the visitors on top, 4-2, and turned out to be the difference in the game.

    Theobald came on in relief for FSU in the bottom of the frame and issued a leadoff walk. A pair of infield outs moved the runner to third and she scored on a two-out error, putting the tying run on first.

    Caroline Woody followed with a single to put the tying and winning runs on base but Theobald retired the next batter to earn the save and complete the sweep.

    Woody, Kayla Mancuso and Sara Simon paced WLU's 11-hit attack with two singles each. Conkle and Anna Welsh each singled and drove in a run.

    The Hilltoppers will be back in action on Friday when they head to Glenville State for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.

SOFTBALL

Frostburg State 7, West Liberty 0

Frostburg State        050 000 2 - 7  10  0

West Liberty             000 000 0 - 0    4  1

     FSU: Theobald wp (7SO, 0W) and Ernst. Gilford 3S, 2rbi; Roberts D, S, rbi; Sanderson S, rbi; Miller S, rbi; Buckheit S, rbi; Ernst D

     WLU: Angus lp (0SO, 1W), Alford (0SO, 2W), Perri (1SO, 1W) and Holbrook. Conkle D, S

Frostburg State 4, West Liberty 3

Frostburg State        010 110 1 - 4    6  3

West Liberty             200 000 1 - 3  11  0

     FSU: Roberts wp (3SO, 0W), Theobald (0SO, 1W) and Stetler, Ernst (1). Roberts D, S; Ernst S, 2rbi; Gilford D

     WLU: Tapman lp (1SO, 2W), Perri (0SO, 0W), Baer (1SO, 0W) and Holbrook. Simon 2S; Mancuso 2S; Woody 2S; Conkle S, rbi; Welsh S, rbi