Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. -- The Notre Dame College softball team dropped a Mountain East Conference doubleheader to the host West Liberty Hilltoppers on Saturday afternoon at the WLU Softball Complex. The Falcons lost by a narrow 7-6 margin in game one before losing game two, 18-10.

GAME ONE
West Liberty 7, Notre Dame 6

The Hilltoppers jumped out to an early lead in game one, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-0 lead over the Falcons. However, the Falcons would respond with an offensive rally of their own.

In the top of the second inning, Erin Calhoun was hit by pitch and Mackenzie Wallace singled to put two runners on base for NDC. Perris Stevens hit a RBI single that scored Calhoun, putting the Falcons on the scoreboard. 

With two Falcons runners still on base, Maria Vanadia launched a three-run home run to left-center field, giving the Falcons a 4-3 lead over West Liberty. Ashley Pokraka pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the second, and the Falcons' offense went back to work in the third.

Wallace led off the third inning with a single to the left side, her second hit in as many innings. Stevens stayed hot at the plate, jacking a two-run home run to score Wallace and herself as the Falcons pushed their advantage to 6-3 in the third inning.

Scoring came to a halt for both sides until the bottom of the fifth inning, where the Hilltoppers used a four-run inning to take a narrow 7-6 lead over the Falcons. NDC threatened on offense in both the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't push any more runs across the plate as the Falcons fell short, 7-6.

GAME TWO
West Liberty 18, Notre Dame 10

Game two of Saturday's doubleheader proved to be a barnburner between both sides as a combined 28 runs were scored between the Falcons and Hilltoppers. NDC scored one run in the first inning via Mackenzie Wallace RBI single to give the Falcons the early 1-0 lead. 

The host Hilltoppers scored three runs in the bottom of the first, taking a 3-1 lead over West Liberty. 

Continuing the scoring frenzy, the Falcons added three more runs in the top of the second. Nicole Spuhler hit a sacrifice fly that scored Maria Vanadia, and Shelby Stephens hit a two-run double to right-center to give the Falcons a 4-3 lead. However, West Liberty scored five runs in the bottom of the inning to take back the lead, 8-4.

But the Falcons refused to simply roll over. In the top of the third, the Falcons scored three runs to cut the deficit to just 8-6, and added two more runs in the fourth to tie the score at 8-8, essentially resetting the game.

West Liberty scored three runs in the fifth inning to re-take the lead, 11-8, but the Falcons added two more runs in the sixth inning to cut into the deficit again, 11-10.

However, that's as close as the Falcons would come. The Hilltoppers scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to take an 18-10 lead going into the final inning, and the Falcons fell short in their comeback effort.

With the loss, the Falcons fall to 15-32 on the season, including a 9-21 mark in MEC play.

The Falcons will return to action on Sunday, April 24 on the road against the Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals in another MEC doubleheader. Game times are scheduled for 12 pm and 2 pm.