INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The Fairmont State softball team (31-19, 21-9 in Mountain East Conference play) split a doubleheader versus West Virginia State (15-28, 9-21 MEC) on Thursday (April 27) at Lady Jackets Field in Institute, W.Va. after setting a season-high hit total in the second game to win 9-0.
 
Game One – West Virginia State 9, Fairmont State 3
Emily Riggs ripped an RBI double in her first at bat since April 8 and put the Falcons in the lead. WVSU plated four in the third inning and held a three-run lead. Riggs struck once again in the fifth inning with her second double of the game, this time scoring Hannah Workman and Katy Darnell to put the Falcons within one run in the fifth. The Yellow Jackets padded their lead on four runs in the fifth and added an insurance run in the sixth and won the opener, 9-3.
 
Riggs, Workman and Darnell each had multiple hits in the first game. Darnell chipped in a walk and was aboard three times. Peyton Wetherholt and Courtney Moyer also finished with hits for Fairmont State. Olivia Hylton did not allow an earned run in 1.1 innings of work in the circle.
 
Game Two – Fairmont State 9, West Virginia State 0
Riggs continued to swing it well in the second game and cranked her eighth home run of the season in the first frame with two outs. Fairmont State continued to rally with two outs in the opening frame when Wetherholt doubled to left center and Moyer brought her home with an RBI base hit to put the Falcons ahead, 2-0.
 
Emma Gates kept WVSU hitters off balance all game long. She worked through the Yellow Jackets' lineup and stranded five WVSU baserunners in the first three innings. She recorded a strikeout in the fourth inning as part of a 1-2-3 inning and the score remained 2-0 in favor of the Falcons.
 
Wetherholt picked up an RBI single in the fifth and scored Workman to push the Fairmont State lead to three. The Falcons plated two in the sixth inning following an RBI hit by Riggs and a sacrifice fly by Wetherholt. The Fairmont State offense broke it open in the seventh inning with four runs thanks to an Isabella Yelle two-RBI base hit, a Darnell RBI knock and a Workman RBI double. Gates finished the game by retiring 12 Yellow Jackets in a row to finish her eighth complete game of her freshman season.
 
The Falcons recorded a season-high 16 hits in the second game. Alexa Andrews led the way by going 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Riggs and Wetherholt both had a trio of hits and Workman poked two hits. Gates carved through the WVSU lineup and allowed just three hits. She induced 10 flyouts and 10 groundouts and picked up her 13^th win of the season.
 
Up Next
The Falcons will finish the regular season on the road at the fifth-ranked team in the region, Charleston. The doubleheader is scheduled to be played on Sunday (April 30) at 1 p.m. in the capital city.