GLENVILLE, W.Va. — West Virginia State posted a 3–1 showing at the Glenville State Invitational on Friday and Saturday, rebounding from an opening-game setback to win three straight and even its overall record at 4–4 on the young season.
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Game 1: Gannon 8, West Virginia State 1
Gannon (1–0, 0–0 PSAC) scored once in the first inning before adding three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings and another in the sixth to build separation. WVSU's lone run came in the sixth on a solo home run by
Olivia Bell.
Cassidy Cummings led the Yellow Jackets offensively with a 2-for-3 performance, while Bell,
Brooke Christian and
Clarke Moore each added a hit. In the circle,
Kaleigh Murphy took the loss, pitching 3 2/3 innings and allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
Anastase Bourgeois worked the final 3 1/3 innings in relief, surrendering two runs (one earned) on one hit while striking out three.
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Game 2: West Virginia State 16, D'Youville 9
The Yellow Jackets wasted no time setting the tone. After a leadoff single from
Kylie Price and a sacrifice bunt by
Gianna Sloan-Lebron, Moore singled to put runners on the corners.
Sydney Shamblin then launched a three-run home run to deep center field, her first of the season, giving State an early 3–0 advantage.
D'Youville (1–1, 0–0 ECC) responded with five runs in the bottom of the first and added three more in the second to take an 8–5 lead, but the Yellow Jackets' offense kept applying pressure.
Shamblin delivered again in the fifth, belting her second three-run homer of the game as part of a four-run inning that swung the momentum back to State. She finished 2-for-4 with two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored.
Moore turned in a 3-for-4 performance with a double, three runs scored and an RBI, while
Emily Bechtel went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two walks. Bell added a two-run homer off the bench, and
Avery Contreras and
Chloe Treadway each drove in a run.
State broke the game open in the seventh, plating five runs on five hits to stretch the margin to 16–9.
In the circle,
Alex Hill earned the win in relief, tossing 3 1/3 innings and allowing one run.
Adrianna Green closed the door with two scoreless innings, striking out five of the six batters she faced to record the save.
As a team, West Virginia State drew 10 walks and collected three home runs in the victory.
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Game 3: West Virginia State 4, Bowie State 2
The Yellow Jackets scored in three of their first four innings and made the early cushion stand, while limiting the Bulldogs (1–7, 0–0 CIAA) to six hits.
State got on the board in the bottom of the first. Price singled to left and moved into scoring position before coming home during a two-run opening frame.
In the second inning, WVSU added another run to stretch the lead to 3–0. The Jackets pushed across their fourth run in the fourth inning.
Price led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. She delivered a pair of two-out RBI and finished with three of State's five hits.
Bechtel contributed a triple and drove in a run, while Shamblin added a sacrifice fly. Sloan-Lebron also recorded a hit and scored once.
Freshman
Anastase Bourgeois (1–1) earned the win, working five innings and allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and no walks.
Bowie State trimmed the deficit to 4–2 in the sixth, but Murphy entered in relief and shut the door. Murphy tossed two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three to record her first save of the season.
WVSU finished with five hits and three walks, and the defense turned one double play behind the pitching staff.
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Game 4: West Virginia State 11, Seton Hill 2
The Yellow Jackets closed out the weekend with an 11–2 win over Seton Hill at the Sue Morris Sports Complex in Glenville.
West Virginia State scored in four different innings and collected 13 hits, including two home runs and three doubles, while capitalizing on four Seton Hill errors. The Griffins dropped to 1–3, 0–0 PSAC.
After Moore's sacrifice fly plated Sloan-Lebron for a 1–0 lead in the first, the Yellow Jackets created separation in the middle innings. State scored three runs in the third and three more in the fourth to build a 7–2 advantage. The Jackets added a run in the fifth before breaking it open with three runs in the seventh.
Sloan-Lebron went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a home run, while Price finished 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI. Bechtel added two hits and two RBI, and Shamblin chipped in a pair of hits, including a double. Moore drove in three runs despite just one official at-bat, contributing a sacrifice fly.
In the circle, Green tossed a complete game, allowing two runs on seven hits over seven innings. She struck out eight and walked three.
Seton Hill scored single runs in the third and fourth innings, but Green limited further damage and worked a scoreless final three frames.
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Weekend Notes
West Virginia State scored 32 runs on 37 hits across the four games while hitting .333 as a team with six home runs and 29 RBI. Sloan-Lebron led the way with a .545 average and a home run, Price hit .500 (7-for-14) with five runs scored and four RBI, and Shamblin batted .444 (4-for-9) with two home runs, seven RBI and four runs scored. The Yellow Jackets drew 21 walks compared to nine for their opponents and outscored teams 8–0 in the final inning of games over the weekend. In the circle, Green struck out 13 over nine innings with a 1.56 ERA, helping limit opponents to a .291 average.
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Up Next
West Virginia State returns to action Friday–Saturday, Feb. 27–28 at the Triangle Collegiate Softball Classic. The Yellow Jackets open play Friday at noon against Felician.
