WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty opened its beautiful new softball field in impressive style Saturday afternoon, hammering Davis & Elkins by a 9-1 score in the official debut of the Hilltoppers’ on-campus facility.
The Senators bounced back with a 15-10 victory in the second game to salvage a split of the West Virginia Conference doubleheader.
With the sun beaming down on the sparkling new layout, Coach Herb Minch’s hosts wasted little time lighting up the outfield scoreboard.
West Liberty scored three runs in the bottom of the first, added four more in the second and tacked on single tallies in the third and fourth frames to bring the 8-run “mercy rule” into effect after Davis & Elkins failed to score in the top of the fifth.
Felicia Hulslander chased home two runs with a single and a triple while Katie Saluga had a 2-run double. Maria Walker and Courtney Loe chipped in with RBI singles.
Amy Grubic went the distance on the mound for the win, scattering 8 hits while striking out 3 and walking one.
A spirited Hilltopper comeback effort fell short in the second game as West Liberty couldn’t dig all the way out of an early 9-0 hole.
The Hilltoppers had trimmed the margin to 11-8 when D&E’s Bridget Ours put the game out of reach with a two-out grand slam in the top of the fifth.
Hulslander and Saluga led West Liberty at the plate again. Saluga had a double and single while Hulslander had two singles and a pair of stolen bases. Shelby Wilson doubled home a pair of runs while Chelsea Sheets had a 2-run single and Walker added an RBI base knock.
West Liberty hits the road Sunday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Alderson-Broaddus.
