WISE - - UVa-Wise softball split a pair of games Thursday afternoon with Notre Dame College. The Falcons claimed a 13-2 game one win before the Cavs rallied for a 9-5 game two victory. The day also recognized the four graduating members of the softball program in seniors Ava Hockey, Lucindy Lawson, Shannon Bennett, and junior Taylor Creasey.
Notre Dame (19-25, 7-15 MEC) used a three-run first inning to go ahead early in the first game of the day. Back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third before a single through the right side scored one. The Falcons drove home two more on a pair of RBI singles for a 3-0 advantage.
Creasey put UVa-Wise (20-19, 14-10 MEC) in position to score in the home half of the frame with a single and a stolen base placing the center fielder on second with one out, but back-to-back strike outs left her stranded to end the frame.
The Cavs gained their first runs of the day in the home half of the third with a leadoff single by junior Nikki Smith before a ground out and fly out advanced the shortstop to third. A two-run blast off the bat of sophomore Kaylee Jones plated Smith as the Cavs cut the deficit, 3-2.
Notre Dame tacked on one more run in the top of the fifth on a solo homer to left center by Ariel Linberger to take a 4-2 lead over the Cavs. The Falcons then scored nine more runs in the top of the seventh. A Cavalier error plated two before an RBI triple sent home one more with no outs. An error and a pair of doubles and singles drove home six more for the Falcons.
UVa-Wise was unable to get a hit in the bottom of the frame as Notre Dame claimed a 13-2 victory in the first game of the day.
The Falcons' McKenzie Zigmont (9-11) scattered four hits and struck out two across three innings gaining the win inside the circle. Taylor Olson earned her first save of the season as she struck out two in four innings.
Junior Raychel Lapallo (9-8) allowed nine hits and fanned five in six innings for the Cavs.
The Cavs turned things around quickly in game two scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Back-to-back singles by Smith and Creasey led off the frame for UVa-Wise before a walk put sophomore Alexis Miles on first to load the bases. A fielder's choice put Jones on base on the next at-bat but Smith would be out at home as the Cavs reloaded the bases. Senior Shannon Bennett's double to left plated Creasey and Miles before Lawson's double to left center sent home Jones and Bennett.
UVa-Wise added two more runs an inning later on a two-run blast to right field off the bat of Miles as she scored Smith on her first home run of the day.
Notre Dame put together a five-run fifth inning to dig into the Cavs lead. An error scored two runs for the Falcons with a pair of doubles and a single plating three more for Notre Dame as the Cavs maintained a one-run advantage, 6-5, into the bottom of the frame.
UVa-Wise pushed across one more in the bottom of the fifth on a Lawson RBI single to score Jones. The Cavs plated their final two runs an inning later with a two-out solo homer to right center by Creasey and an RBI single by Jones to score Miles giving the Cavs a 9-5 lead.
The Falcons recorded one more hit in the final inning but would leave two stranded as the Cavs held on for the game two victory to split the day with Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's Olson fell to 9-12 with the loss as she scattered four hits and struck out one in one inning.
Sophomore Kailyn Spencer improved to 8-6 in the circle as she allowed five hits and fanned four in a complete game effort.
Softball will wrap up regular season play next weekend as they go on the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan and Glenville State.
