WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Fairmont State scored five runs in the final three innings of game one on Monday afternoon to earn a split in a Mountain East Conference doubleheader against West Liberty.
With the doubleheader split, Fairmont State moves to 23-19 overall and 17-11 in Mountain East Conference play. West Liberty improves to 27-16 overall and 19-7 in the league.
Game 1
In game one Fairmont State got on the board first when
Haley McDaniel reached home following an error by the Hilltoppers to make the score 1-0. West Liberty knotted the score on Kat Donzella's solo home run in the bottom of the third.
The scored would remain a 1-1 tie until the top of the fifth when
Kaylee Andersen and
Courtney Worcester each drove in runs on RBI singles to put the Falcons in front by a 3-1 margin. West Liberty's Sydney Bennington got one run back for the Hilltoppers in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly that scored Allie Cook from third.
From that point, the Falcons scored the next three runs in the game to pull ahead with a 6-2 advantage following the top of the seventh inning.
Heidi Hormell scored the first run during the stretch on an RBI single in the sixth.
Katlynn Foltz drove in the fifth run of the game for the Falcons in the top of the seventh on an RBI single. Foltz then became the sixth run to cross home plate for the Falcons on a wild pitch later in the inning.
WLU scored one more run in the bottom of the seventh to make the final score 6-3.
Andersen went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored to lead the Falcons in the game. Hormell also went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Hannah Absalom improved to 14-7 on the year following the victory. The senior pitched a complete game, allowing just one earned run on eight hits. Absalom struck out four batters in the win.
Game 2
The script flipped in game two of the doubleheader, as West Liberty scored five of the final six runs to earn the 6-3 win. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, West Liberty scored two runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth to take control of the game.
The Falcons grabbed a 2-1 lead early in the game following a sacrifice fly by Andersen in the top of the first, and an RBI double by Worcester in the third.
After West Liberty grabbed a 6-2 lead after five innings of play, Hormell drove in the final run of the game on a single to left field, making the final score 6-3.
Foltz and Worcester each had multiple hits to lead the Falcons at the plate.
Fairmont State will return to action on Friday afternoon against the University of Charleston. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Duvall-Rosier Field.
