FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The Fairmont State softball team picked up a huge doubleheader sweep over West Liberty, 7-2, 3-2, on Monday evening at Duvall-Rosier Field to improve to 8-2 on the season.
The sweep also gave the Falcons a 4-2 mark in MEC play. WLU fell to 8-8 overall and 4-4 in the league.
In game one,
Courtney Worcester broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third on a two-run RBI single up the middle that scored
Haley McDaniel and
Brianna McKenzie from second and third. However, West Liberty's Conner Assif responded in the top of the fourth with a two-run RBI single of her own to knot the game back up at 2-2.
Aided by an error by the WLU third-baseman, the Falcons broke open the game in the bottom of the fifth with a five-run frame. The first run came following a WLU error, that allowed
Abbey Ammons to reach base and allowed Worcester to reach home for an unearned run.
Later in the inning with two outs,
Emily Riggs and
Kadi Cosgrove each drove in two runs apiece to push Fairmont's lead to 7-2. Riggs cleared the bases on a two-run RBI single, while Cosgrove smashed a triple into right center to score two more runs.
Cierra Chastain (3-1) earned the pitching decision for the Falcons after allowing just two runs (0 earned runs) on three hits. She also struck out six batters.
WLU pitcher Annie Patterson recorded 13 strikeouts in the start, but suffered the loss to fall to 1-3 on the year.
In game two, the Falcons opened up a 3-0 lead after four innings of play and held off a late push by the Hilltoppers to earn the sweep.
Andie Baughman put the Falcons on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning on a solo home run to left field to make the score 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Fairmont's
Hannah Tolle cleared the center field fence with a runner on base to push the Falcons lead to 3-0.
West Liberty's Kat Donzella drove in a run in the top of the fifth, and Makayla Blair doubles to left center and drove in a second WLU run in the bottom of the sixth to pull the visitors within a single run with one inning to play.
WLU got one runner on in the top of the seventh, but a pair of fly-outs and a groundout helped the Falcons wrap up the one-run victory and the sweep.
Kadi Cosgrove (2-1) earned the pitching decision for the Falcons after pitching four and two-thirds innings and allowing just one run (0 earned) on six hits.
West Liberty's Riley Bennington went the distance in the circle in game two, recording 10 strikeouts in the solid pitching effort.
Fairmont State will return to action this Friday against Wheeling University. The MEC doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. start at Duvall-Rosier Field.
