WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. - - UVa-Wise softball dropped a pair of games on the road at West Liberty University Thursday afternoon. The Cavaliers fell to the Hilltoppers 5-2 in game one before West Liberty shutout the Cavs in game two, 3-0.

Scoreless through the first two innings of game one, UVa-Wise (20-21, 14-12 MEC) recorded its first hit of the day on a single through the right side off the bat of senior Shannon Bennett with the left fielder advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Casey Chambers. The Cavs would not be able to score with back-to-back strike outs sending the game into the bottom of the second.

West Liberty (29-16, 21-7 MEC) pushed across its first runs of the day in the home half of the third. The Hilltoppers capitalized off of three hits and a Cavalier error to score two on an RBI single by Katie Beeman for a 2-0 advantage.

The Hilltoppers drove home two more in the fourth frame with a one-out single followed by a double to left center putting West Liberty up 3-0 over the Cavs. The Hilltoppers tacked on one more on an error to go ahead 4-0 before a leadoff homer by Beeman gave West Liberty a 5-0 advantage in the home half of the fifth frame.

Sophomore Alexis Miles one-out bomb to left center in the top of the sixth put UVa-Wise on the board as the Hilltoppers maintained the lead. The Cavs scored one more an inning later with a hit by pitch putting senior Lucindy Lawson on first before she advanced to second on a groundout. Fellow senior Ava Hockey's one-out single down the right field line scored Lawson but West Liberty's Taylor Bonnett struck out back-to-back batters to take game one, 5-2.

Junior Raychel Lapallo fell to 9-9 with the loss as she scattered nine hits across four innings.

West Liberty's Anna Patterson (8-5) earned the win as she gave up just two hits and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings in the circle.

The Hilltoppers used a three-run second inning to defeat the Cavs in the second game of the day.

Neither team recorded a hit until the bottom of the second with a leadoff single by West Liberty's Beeman. A walk and another single loaded the bases for the Hilltoppers as Beeman scored on the next at bat. A two RBI single by Audrey Meloun scored two more for West Liberty before a double play and groundout sent the game into the top of the third.

UVa-Wise posted one hit in the fourth and fifth inning but would be unable to score. The Cavs looked to get on the board in the top of the sixth with a one-out walk for junior Taylor Creasey followed by a single off the bat of Miles. With only one out, sophomore Kaylee Jones' walk loaded the bases for the Cavs but the Hilltoppers would get an out at home before a strike out left all three runners stranded as West Liberty held on for the 3-0 shutout victory.

Sophomore Kailyn Spencer (8-7) suffered the loss as she allowed four hits and struck out five in a complete game effort.

The Hilltoppers' Riley Bennington (9-5) scattered four hits and fanned seven across seven innings.

UVa-Wise returns to action tomorrow for a doubleheader at Glenville State College beginning at 3 p.m.