DAYTONA, Fla. — The West Virginia Wesleyan softball team continued play at the Space Coast Tournament on March 5, battling through a pair of competitive games against Cedarville University and the University of Mary. The Bobcats were locked in tight contests throughout the afternoon but ultimately fell 3–2 in a walk-off against Cedarville before dropping a 5–1 decision to Mary in the second game of the day.
Game 1: Cedarville 3, West Virginia Wesleyan 2
The opening matchup was a defensive battle through the first four innings as both teams struggled to generate offense. Bobcat pitcher
Morgan Greene kept Cedarville in check early, while Wesleyan threatened with runners in scoring position but could not break through against the Yellow Jackets' pitching staff.
Wesleyan finally found momentum in the top of the fifth inning.
Jaelyn Riley sparked the rally with a single and later stole second before
Lynzee Hague delivered a single to right field. A Cedarville throwing error allowed Riley to score, and another defensive miscue moments later brought Hague across the plate to give the Bobcats a 2–0 advantage.
Cedarville answered in the bottom half of the inning. A pair of singles and pressure on the bases led to two unearned runs as the Yellow Jackets capitalized on defensive miscues to even the score at 2–2. Greene worked out of further trouble and kept the game tied through the sixth inning.
The Yellow Jackets secured the win in the bottom of the seventh. Jordan Berry opened the inning with a single and eventually moved into scoring position before a bunt single by Brynley Rung advanced the runners. Camryn Taktak then delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Berry home for the walk-off run and a 3–2 Cedarville victory.
Greene pitched effectively despite the tough loss, allowing just five hits over 6.1 innings with all three runs unearned. Offensively, Riley, Hague,
Josi Fix,
Reagan Winn, and
Kali Vance each recorded hits for Wesleyan, with Winn adding a double.
Game 2: Mary 5, West Virginia Wesleyan 1
In the second game of the afternoon, Mary struck early with a run in the first inning after Kaitlyn McLaughlin singled, stole second, and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Genevieve Hastings.
The Bobcats responded in the fourth inning.
Josi Fix singled to start the rally, and
Reagan Winn followed with a clutch RBI double to center field to tie the game at 1–1.
The contest remained even until the sixth inning when Mary broke the game open. McLaughlin reached on an error and eventually scored on a triple by Jenel Mallari. Jianna Cota followed with an RBI single, and additional runs crossed the plate on a wild pitch and a caught-stealing sequence to give Mary a 5–1 lead.
Wesleyan was unable to mount a late comeback as the Marauders' pitching staff retired the Bobcats in order over the final frames to secure the victory.
Winn paced the Wesleyan offense in game two with two hits, including the RBI double, while Fix and
Kali Vance also recorded hits.
Mackenzie O'Brien started in the circle and worked 5.1 innings, with
Avery Orille providing relief over the final 1.2 innings.
Wesleyan continues play at the Space Coast Tournament on Friday, Mar. 6 with the last two games of its spring break run through Florida. Opponents include University of Minnesota-Crookston and the University of Bridgeport
