KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Fairmont State softball team entered the elimination contest today against Mercyhurst University with something to prove as the Fighting Falcons knocked off the fourth-seeded Lakers 8-3 and advanced to play Mountain East Conference foe West Virginia Wesleyan in the second elimination game of the day. The Bobcats won 3-1 as Fairmont State finished the season with an overall record of 22-27.

On the 2022 season, the Maroon and White won its first-ever MEC Conference Title after going 4-0 and downing WVWC two times en route to the crown.

Fairmont State softball will look to build towards next season as defending conference champions.

GAME 1 Fairmont State 8 Mercyhurst 3

In the first game of the day for the Falcons, Mercyhurst go on the board first with two runs in the first inning but Fairmont State answered in the bottom half of the inning.

Katy Darnell started the offense off with an 11-pitch walk and stole second on Hannah Workman's at-bat. Workman singled to the shortstop as the Falcons had two on with nobody out. Courtney Moyer was able to tie the score at two apiece off a single up the middle to plate Darnell and Workman with two outs.

Fairmont State continued the success in the second inning with Shelby Reed working out of a jam as Alexa Andrews led of the second with a single up the middle. Andrews advanced to third off a stolen base and a throwing error by Mercyhurst's catcher. The Falcons took the 3-2 lead after Reed helped her own cause with an RBI single down the left-field line.

MacKenzie Maddy laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance pinch-runner Jordan Novak to second and Workman plated Novak in her at-bat to give Fairmont State the 4-2 advantage.

The Falcons added another run in the third by Darnell singling to the shortstop as Andrews scored from third base.

Reed was able to hold the Laker offense to only one more run the rest of the way as the Falcons pushed their lead to five runs with a three-run sixth inning.

Workman led off the inning with a single to shortstop and advanced 60 feet via a sacrifice bunt by Peyton Wetherholt. Moyer put runners at the corners by a hit pitch and advanced up with a stolen base.

Isabella Yelle scored Workman to give Fairmont State the 6-3 edge and picked up another run with an RBI single by Andrews. Reed helped her own cause once more with a double to left field as Schmitt came around to score with the Falcons up 8-3.

Reed shut down Mercyhurst in the top of the seventh with three straight outs to advance to the contest with West Virginia Wesleyan. Reed went the distance as she threw 76 pitches and only allowed three runs (three earned) on five hits and walked two.

GAME 2 Fairmont State 1 WVWC 3

Fairmont State looked to continue its recent success against the Bobcats, but WVWC's Abigail O'Shields held the bats in check for the Falcons. Caitlyn Kassay matched her with seven complete innings and four strikeouts. Kassay took the loss in the pitching circle for Fairmont State.

Wesleyan got on the board first with a two-out single in the third inning with two outs to make the score 1-0.

In the top of the fourth inning, Kassay got two quick outs and had the count at 1-1 versus WVWC's Alvarado before a weather delay halted the game. After the delay, Alvarado was able to reach base via a walk, but Kassay shut the door with a groundout to Molly Schweitzer.

The Bobcats plated one more run in each of the fifth and sixth innings to take the three-run advantage.

Wetherholt led off the sixth with a solo home run to left field to cut the deficit to two runs. Moyer and Schmitt followed with one-out singles, but the rally was thwarted with two consecutive outs.

Workman and the Falcons would not go down easily in the seventh either as she hit a two-out double to the right-center gap with Wetherholt stepping to the plate as the game-tying run. Wetherholt popped up to the Bobcats' pitcher as WVWC came away with the 3-1 victory.