FLORENCE, S.C. – The West Liberty University softball team dropped games to Bloomsburg and Francis Marion in its final day of a two-day trip to South Carolina Monday afternoon.
Game 1: Bloomsburg (9) – West Liberty (6)
The Hilltoppers scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the deficit was too much to overcome falling 9-6 to Bloomsburg.
After a scoreless first two innings the Hilltoppers got the scoring started in the bottom of the third with two runs. Kayla Mancuso started the inning off with a double, then stole third, and came home on a wild pitch for the first run of the game. Then, Grace Swigart belted her first home run of the season over the left field fence on a 1-1 count with two outs to put WLU ahead 2-0.
Starting pitcher Madison Angus went 3.2 innnings and held the Huskies off the board, while striking out one and scattering five hits.
Bloomsburg was able to take advantage of a West Liberty error in the fifth and score two runs to tie it up. The Huskies kept it going the next two innings plating two more in the sixth to take their first lead of the game, then put up five in the top of the seventh to extend their lead.
The Hilltoppers sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh and rallied for four runs featuring a RBI doubles from Riley Conkle, which scored two, and Savannah Holbrook, along with an RBI groundout from Swigart. The tying run came to the plate, but the Huskies were able to bear down and hold on for the win.
Conkle and Mancuso both finished 2-for-2 in the game with a double. Conkle added one walk, two RBI, and a run scored, while Mancuso scored twice and walked twice.
West Liberty committed seven errors in the game. Brooke Perri suffered the loss from the rubber.
Game 2: West Liberty (6) – Francis Marion (11) F/5
Francis Marion ran away with the finale, run ruling the Hilltoppers in five innings.
The Patriots scored two in the first, five in the second, one in the third, and three in the fourth to go up 11-0, before West Liberty crossed the plate in the fifth on a Savannah Holbrook two-out, RBI double to right center.
Anna Welsh singled to lead off the fifth inning for WLU, then her pinch runner Madalyn Johnson scored on the Holbrook double. The lone other base runner in the game for the Black and Gold was Riley Conkle on a single to left field in the first inning.
Three different Hilltoppers saw action in the circle, Brooke Perri threw a scoreless final inning and struck out one. Ashlyn Tapman started and was dealt the loss.
Up Next
West Liberty will travel to North Carolina to play four games at Mount Olive University on Saturday and Sunday. Two will be against the homestanding Trojans and two against Mercyhurst.
Follow West Liberty Softball online all season at HilltopperSports.com and on Twitter (@WLU_Softball & @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_softball & @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.
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