WVWC softball improve to 21-8 over following doubleheader sweeps of Glenville, Concord and split with D&E

In Saturday’s first game against the Pioneers, the Bobcats used a complete game gem from Hannah Hudson to pick up a 3-0 win.

Hudson only surrendered two hits and two walks while retiring nine Pioneers batters to seal the shutout win while Morgan Norris finished with two RBIs and Kiley Turner recorded two hits to pace the Bobcats to the win offensively.

The game started out as a classic pitcher’s duel with both teams generating little to no offense, going down in order or getting a walk and the inning ending with an out.

WVWC’s offense came alive in the top of the sixth, breaking the scoring drought on an errant throw from Brehm to home, plating Alyssa Souders. Morgan Norris hit an infield bunt-single that scored Hallie Dinklocker and Gracie Hightower.

Hudson breezed through the bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts and a ground out to close out the win.

In game two against Glenville State, Alyssa Souders posted a perfect 3-for-3 mark at the plate with two RBIs while Norris, Andie Dizon, Carlee Iannone and Amillia Howard all finished with a single RBI each to lead WVWC to the win offensively.

Kendall Stoffel improved her record to 8-1, pitching a complete game and giving up just three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts.

The Bobcats scored three runs on two hits and an error in the top of the third as Dinklocker walked and stole second to get in scoring position for Norris to double her in, Taylor Swartz reached on an error and Dizon brought Norris in on a double to left before Souders finished the scoring in the inning with a sacrifice fly, to put WVWC on top, 3-0.

In the top of the fifth, Wesleyan batted all the way around to extend their lead. Norris singled to start the inning off and Taylor Swartz reached on an error once again.

A double play seemed to calm the Bobcats offense down but Souders, Iannone and Howard rattled off three consecutive RBI singles as the Bobcats carried a 6-0 lead through five innings of play.

Stoffel was superb in the circle all game for the Bobcats, striking out six batters and failing to allow a Pioneer to reach base over the last three innings to close out the Pioneers, securing the 6-0 win for the Bobcats.

The next day on Sunday, the West Virginia Wesleyan Softball team extended their winning streak to six straight with a sweep of Concord on Sunday in Athens, beating the Mountain Lions 11-0 in five innings in game one and shutting out CU once again in the second game, 2-0.

In game one of Sunday’s doubleheader against CU, Kaitlyn Rizor posted a huge outing with three RBIs while Gracie Hightower added two RBI and finished a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the dish to lead the Bearcats’ lineup to the win.

Stoffel collected another win in the circle after giving up two hits and walking three while also striking out three in five innings of work.

WVWC came out swinging with back-to-back doubles by Hallie Dinklocker and Hightower putting the Bobcats on the scoreboard early.

In the third inning, Dizon smashed an RBI single after Hightower and Norris started the inning off with a single and reaching on a fielder’s choice.

Swartz and Turner walked consecutively to bring in another run and granted Turner with an RBI.

Souders hit a sacrifice fly to right to bring Dizon home before Rizor brought Swartz home on the next at-bat.

Dinklocker and Hightower finished the scoring off for the inning with back-to-back RBI singles.

Rizor extended the Bobcats seven-run lead in the top of the fourth with a two-RBI double to the right-center gap and wwo runs in the top of the fifth.

Concord was able to put two runners on in the bottom of the fifth but Stoffel closed out the game strong, earning the 11-0 victory after just five innings.

In game two against CU on Sunday, Dinklocker was the only Bobcat with two hits while Norris and Turner each batted in an RBI to lead WVWC to the win.

Abby O’Shields was the winning pitcher, giving up four hits and walking two while striking out eight.

Dinklocker started the third with a double and was brought home on back-to-back sacrifice bunts by Hightower and Norris to give the Bobcats an early 1-0 advantage.

Both offenses went silent until the Bobcats added an insurance run for O’Shields in the top of the seventh after Rizor doubled and Tuner singled her home to push WVWC’s lead to 2-0.

The Bobcats held the Mountain Lions scoreless to end the game and clinch their second straight doubleheader sweep.

The Bobcats softball team finished out the week by splitting a doubleheader against the Davis and Elkins Senators, losing the first game 1-0 before bouncing back in game two to pick up a 7-4 win.

In Wednesday first game, the Bobcats suffered the loss despite Hudson pitching a gem, only giving up one run on one hit, walking one and striking out five in addition to Souders going 3-for-3 and Norris finishing 2-for-4 to lead the Bobcats at the plate.

The Bobcats managed to record a hit in every inning aside from the seventh but failed to capitalize with a score leaving the game knotted up in a scoreless tie until the top of the fifth inning when the Senator’s Jules Gutierrez smashed a solo home run.

In Wesleyan’s final attempt to put runs on the board and extend the game, the lineup went down 1-2-3 to end the game as Davis & Elkins took the first game, 1-0.

In the second game against Davis and Elkins on Wednesday, Norris led the Bobcats with three RBIs with Swartz adding another two RBIs to pace the Bobcats offensively.

Stoffel earned her 10th win of the season, giving up four runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out seven.

WVWC wasted no time striking the first blow as Sounder blasted a solo homer in the bottom of the second before tacking another three runs onto their lead in the bottom of the third as Norris slashed a three-run home run on a 3-2 count with two outs to give the Bobcats a 4-0 lead.

The Senators managed to score a run in the bottom of the fourth to trim the Bobcats lead to 4-1.

The Bobcats responded in the bottom half of the inning as Turner and Andie started the bottom half of the inning with a walk, to set up Rizor for an RBI single to go back up four runs, 5-1.

Swartz added two more runs with a two-RBI single up the middle to push the Bobcats lead to 7-1.

Davis and Elkins continued to hang around, cutting the Bobcats’ lead to 7-4 in the top of the seventh before Stoffel closed out the game out strong with three consecutive outs.

The WVWC softball team is set to welcome Alderson Broaddus and Notre Dame College to Buckhannon this weekend for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, with games starting at 1 & 3 p.m. both days.