Troutville, Va. – The West Liberty University softball team was unable to fend off elimination for a third time at the MEC Softball Tournament and Botetourt Softball Complex on Friday afternoon as they saw their season come to a close with a 12-1 loss in five innings to Davis & Elkins. The Senators seized control with a pair of big innings as they plated six runs in the first and five runs in the third, while the Hilltoppers were unable to keep pace as they were out hit 9-4 in the contest.

QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 1, Davis & Elkins 12 (5 Innings)
Team Records: West Liberty 20-34 (11-17 MEC), Davis & Elkins 30-25 (14-16 MEC)
Attendance: 95
Pitching Decision: Win: Vanessa Hunt (10-8), Loss: Kadence Pettit (11-13)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kayla Mancuso started the game with a lead off single to center field and stole second base two batters later, however, she would be left stranded in scoring position as a ground out to shortstop ended the frame.
• Davis & Elkins struck first on the scoreboard and seized all momentum in the bottom of the first inning as they plated six runs off three hits and a pair of WLU errors. The first run of the contest scored on a double steal, while D&E also scored one run on a fielder's choice, one on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt, one on a throwing error from third base, one on a sacrifice fly out to Carlee Leidy in right field, and one run on a double to right field to make it a 6-0 ball game.
• A pair of Hilltoppers were left stranded in the top of the second as Kadence Pettit drew a 4-pitch walk and later advanced to second on a wild pitch, while a single to left field by Kieran Johnson put runners on the corners, but a ground out to third base would end the frame the score still 6-0 in favor of D&E.
• The Senators tacked on one run in the bottom of the second with an RBI single to right field making it a 7-0 game.
• Mancuso and Jaden Conrad connected on back-to-back singles to left center and right field respectively to put runners on the corners in the top of the third before a ground out from Sara Simon to the shortstop allowed for Mancuso to cross the plate for the lone run of the day for the Black & Gold.
• D&E extended the lead with five runs off five hits in the bottom of the third inning as they opened the frame with three consecutive singles and a double. Scoring plays for Davis & Elkins came with one run on a single to center field, one run on a double to right center, two runs on a double to left center, and one run on a ground out to Conrad at second base to make it a 12-1 contest.
• Following a 3-up, 3-down inning for WLU in the top of the fourth, Madison Angus entered the circle in the bottom half of the frame and forced three consecutive fly balls to Mancuso in center field to send the Senators down in order.
• Despite Mancuso drawing a 4-pitch walk in the top of the fifth and stealing second base later in the inning, the Hilltoppers were unable to find the scoreboard again as a ground out to second base ended the game.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kayla Mancuso: 2-for-2, 1 walk, 1 run scored, 2 stolen bases
Kieran Johnson: 1-for-2
Jaden Conrad: 1-for-3
Madison Angus: 1.0 innings pitched, 0 hits allowed, 0 runs allowed, 0 walks allowed