Wheeling, W. Va. – Throughout the month of March, the Wheeling University Softball team (6-20, 4-4) have had a lot of time on their home field, playing four of their first five double headers of the month at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. The Cardinals will once again return to the J.B. Chambers complex on Wednesday afternoon when they take on West Liberty in the first spring edition of “The Battle for Wheeling” when they battle West Liberty at 3 PM. The Cardinals have either swept or been swept in every Mountain East Conference (MEC) doubleheader so far and are hoping the sweep is on their side this time around.
On Monday, the Cardinals finished off their home MEC opening weekend when they hosted the University of Charleston in a doubleheader where the offense took center stage. Game one did not go the way the Cardinals had planned as they picked up just two hits over the course of the five-inning game. Charleston put up 11 runs during that stretch and went on to win 11-0 to take the game one victory. In game two, the two teams would go back and forth with Charleston taking an early 7-1 lead, over the next five innings the Cardinals would battle back to take their first lead of the day at 9-8 after six innings. However, it would be Charleston that had the last strike as they scored 10 runs in the top of the seventh and went on to win 18-11.
Despite the pair of losses, it was a big day for freshman infielder Jenna Hollerich, who had one of the best games in recent history in game two of the doubleheader. She finished the day 4-5 with two doubles, a home run, a run scored, and seven RBI. Her seven RBI were the most in a single game since Angie Reddick drove in 7 RBI against Notre Dame College on March 23rd, 2014. With the effort, she now leads the Cardinals with 19 RBI on the season while hitting her first collegiate home run. Hollerich has been a leader for the Cardinals in the middle infield and looks to set herself up for years of success at the shortstop position.
In the first game of the day, the Cardinals got two hits with Makie Paxson and Avonikah Salas registering those hits. For Salas, it was her first collegiate hit in the top of the third as the Cardinals put together their biggest threat of the game. Salas singled to start the inning and ended up getting to third on a stolen base and a groundout. A walk put runners at the corner with one out, but the Cardinals were unable to push across a run. The other hit came courtesy of Makie Paxson, who led off the game with a single and finished 1-3 in the game. She would reach base twice on the day and scored one run on the day at the top of the Cardinal’s lineup.
The Cardinals have played four MEC doubleheaders so far this season and have either swept the opposition or been swept in all four of those doubleheaders. Since the start of MEC play, the Cardinal’s offense has stepped up, averaging 6.3 runs per game of those eight games, four have been decided by four runs or less, with the Cardinals going 3-1 in those four games. With another home doubleheader set for Wednesday, the Cardinals are looking to continue Wheeling athletics’ success against the Hilltoppers this season and get their conference record back over the .500 mark.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 39th and 40th time in program history on Wednesday with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 20-18. When they meet in Wheeling, the Cardinals are 9-9 in 18 matchups and are looking to break a seven-game home losing streak to the Hilltoppers. Their last home win against the Hilltoppers came on March 18th, 2018, and the Cardinals are 1-9 in their last 10 games against the Hilltoppers.
In their most recent meeting, The Hilltoppers swept the Cardinals at home by scores of 14-6 and 9-4 towards the end of the 2022 season. The Cardinals were led by Brooke Slomkowski, who finished a combined 5-6 with a home run and three RBI. Former Cardinal Cassi Roman finished 4-7 with a double and an RBI and Anna Florczak added a home run in game two of the contest.
The Details
First pitch for Wednesday’s game is scheduled for 3 PM at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex just off the Elm Grove exit on I-70. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
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