FAIRMONT, W.Va. – UVa-Wise softball was defeated in two Mountain East Conference road games at Fairmont State University Sunday afternoon. The Visiting Cavaliers (20-21, 10-10 MEC) fell in a one-run 7-6 game to open up the doubleheader before a five-run fifth inning by the host Fighting Falcons (16-18, 11-9 MEC) gave Fairmont State a 7-2 game two win.
 
Leading 5-4 after five and a half innings of play in game one, the Cavs were not able to hang on as the Fighting Falcons used a three-run sixth to rally for the victory.
 
The Cavs went up 1-0 in the top of the first when sophomore third baseman Samantha Ely (Jonesville, Va.) scored an unearned run off of a Fighting Falcon error as freshman left fielder Shannon Bennett (Covington, Va.) reached first. The score was quickly tied in the bottom of the inning when Fairmont State's Addie Fullen brought home Abbi Fetty from second for an RBI. The Fighting Falcons increased their lead to 4-1 in the home portion of the third after Fullen hit a three-run homer over the center field wall.
 
UVa-Wise scored two runs in both the visiting portions of the fourth and fifth innings to retake the lead at 5-4. Sophomore catcher Bridget Henzel (Toano, Va.) doubled to right center field for two RBI in the top of the fourth, scoring junior first baseman Olivia Cleary (Riner, Va.) and senior designated player Mindy Combs (Lebanon, Va.). In the top of the fifth, senior shortstop Erika McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va.) got out at first but the play allowed senior second baseman Alexa Hernandez (Woodbridge, Va.) to score before a Bennett RBI single brought in Ely.
 
A Devin Williams solo home run over center field in the bottom of the sixth tied up the score at 5-5 before a couple of RBI singles later in the inning gave the Fighting Falcons a two-run 7-5 lead. Whitley Mongan singled up the middle for Taylor Wells to reach home and Sissy Stubbs singled to center field, bringing Mongan across the plate.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Cavs were only able to get one run off of a Combs double to left field that scored Ely, making the 7-6 score final.
 
Henzel led the Cavs at the plate in game one, going 2-for-3 with two RBI as Ely scored three times. Fullen led the Fighting Falcons in the game with a 2-for-4, four RBI performance.
 
Right-handed pitcher Williams (7-7) earned the win for Fairmont State after 2 2/3 innings pitched and four strikeouts. Freshman right-handed pitcher Emily Kale (Shelby, N.C.) took the loss for the Cavs in two innings of work, falling to 3-8 on the season.
 
Tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth with two outs already recorded, the Cavs were not able to get out of the inning and committed two errors as the Fighting Falcons scored five runs to take game two of the doubleheader.
 
Two early runs by Fairmont State gave the home team a 2-0 lead after one inning of play. A Fullen single to right field brought home Courtney Iacobacci before Fetty scored on a wild pitch. The Cavs got on the board in the top of the third when Hernandez singled to center field for an RBI, scoring Cleary from second.
 
An Ely solo home run shot over the center field wall in the top of the sixth tied up the score at 2-2 before the Fighting Falcons opened up the game in the bottom of the inning.
 
Following an error that would have ended the inning, Mongan singled up the middle for an RBI with Hannah Absalom scoring. An Iacobacci single to left field brought in two more runs for the host Fighting Falcons as both Mongan and Wells reached home. Another error was committed by the Cavs before Stubbs hit a two RBI single to center field, allowing Fetty and Iacobacci to score.
 
Down to its final out in the seventh, UVa-Wise was able to get a pair of singles from pinch hitters Henzel and Jackie Yahner (Vienna, Va.) but that was all the Cavs were able to get going in the final inning.
 
Absalom went the distance for Fairmont State to earn the win, improving her record to 5-5 after recording seven strikeouts. Iacobacci went 2-for-3 at the plate, collected two RBI and scored twice to lead the Fighting Falcons in game two.
 
Freshman right-handed pitcher Erika Counts (Clintwood, Va.) tossed her first complete game of the season and struck out three batters, taking the loss for UVa-Wise and dropping her season mark to 0-1.
 
The Cavs will now travel to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Monday for a doubleheader at Shepherd University, first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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