FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The Fairmont State (11-11, 1-1 in Mountain East Conference play) softball team began conference play by splitting a doubleheader versus Davis & Elkins (7-13, 1-1) on Thursday (March 16) at Duvall-Rosier Field in Fairmont, W.Va.
 
Game One – Fairmont State 5, Davis & Elkins 1
The Senators' first two batters reached on a walk and a Fairmont State error. Shelby Reed punched out the next two hitters and worked her way out of the jam with a lineout to first. Both teams were held scoreless in the first two innings.
 
Katy Darnell drove in the Falcons' first run of the day and scored Courtney Moyer in the third inning. Darnell crossed the plate after a pair of wild pitches to complete a two-run third inning for the Falcons. After Moyer led off the fifth inning with a walk, Darnell advanced her to second with a sacrifice bunt. Moyer scored easily after the Senators threw the ball away on a play at third base on Darnell's sac bunt.
 
The Falcons padded their lead in the sixth inning and added a pair of runs. Riggs smoked a double down the left field line and Myaih Cloud followed with a to deep center field. Jordan Novak came off the bench and delivered a pinch-hit RBI knock that scored Cloud, and Fairmont State led 5-0 heading into the seventh. The Senators scratched across one run in the seventh, but the Falcons clinched a 5-1 win in the first game.
 
Reed was fooling D&E hitters all afternoon. The senior from Conway, Ark. went the distance and punched out six Senators while allowing three hits and zero unearned runs on 130 pitches. The Falcons totaled five hits, which included Riggs, Cloud, Novak, Darnell and Gia Woods.
 
Game Two – Davis & Elkins 6, Fairmont State 5
The Falcons responded with two runs in the second inning after D&E scored the game's first run. Cloud began the inning with a single to left center. Peyton Wetherholt kept the line moving with a knock to right field. A Moyer walk loaded the bases with one out. Darnell picked up another pair of RBIs with a shot down the right field line that scored Cloud and Wetherholt to put the Falcons in front, 2-1.
 
The Senators evened the score in the fourth inning with a solo home run. D&E regained the lead in the fifth with two more runs. The Falcons rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning and jumped back in front. Riggs kickstarted the rally with a walk. Alexa Andrews drove in pinch runner Brianna McKenzie with a base hit up the middle to pull the Falcons within one. Andrews moved to third base after a throwing error by the centerfielder. On ball four to Wetherholt Andrews scampered home and scored on a D&E wild pitch to tie the score at four. Novak continued her clutch pinch hitting and broke the tie with an RBI hit that scored Wetherholt. Fairmont State held a one-run lead heading into the top of the seventh.
 
The Senators generated a base hit with one out in the seventh inning. On the next play, D&E crossed two runners across home plate and regained the lead on a bloop hit and a pair of Fairmont State errors. The Falcons had the tying run at second base and the winning run at first base with two outs in the bottom half of the seventh. The Fairmont State comeback effort fell short, and D&E won game two, 6-5.
 
Andrews and Wetherholt both racked up multiple hits in the second game. Hannah Workman, Cloud, Darnell and Novak added hits for the Falcons. Caitlyn Kassay pitched three innings in relief and did not allow an earned run while striking out two.
 
Up Next
The Fairmont State softball team is scheduled to host MEC South preseason favorites West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday (March 18) at 1 p.m. from Duvall-Rosier Field.