Huntington Times

West Virginia State softball (10-12, 4-5 MEC) hasn't won against the University of Charleston Golden Eagles (14-4, 8-1 MEC) since 2021 but had their best chance in the second game of Wednesday's midweek twinbill before a power failure halted game two in the bottom of the seventh inning with the game tied 2-2. State fell to UC in game one earlier in the day, 10-4.

Game 1: Charleston 10, WVSU 4
UC hit back-to-back home runs to take an immediate 2-0 lead in the top of the first, followed by two more runs in the third and three runs in the fifth inning. 

Olivia McClain got aboard on a lead-off error by the shortstop and was pinch run for by Clarke Moore. Addi Dillow then hit a solid shot into the outfield that scored Moore from first base to break up the no-hitter and shutout all in one swing, 7-1. Avery Contreras got on base via UC's second error of the game pushing Dillow to third base, but Kerigan Moore popped up and Contreras got caught off the base to get doubled-off.

UC picked up a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh, 10-1.

Three straight base hits by the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the seventh by Emma Pauley, Autumn Hall, and Dillow, gave the Jackets a run back plus runners on first and second with nobody out. Two consecutive wild pitches put another run on the scoreboard and Dillow on third. Contreras eventually worked a walk from an eight-pitch at bat. A passed ball sent her to second and another wild pitch brought Dillow home. However, the next three batters grounded out, struck out, and lined out to put to bed any hope of a Yellow Jacket rally.

WVSU had only four hits in the game, two by Dillow. UC picked up 14 hits in the game.

Game 2: WVSU 2, UC 2, suspended in the bottom of the seventh inning
Compared to the batting practice that game one was, game two was a pitchers duel. Both teams sent four batters to the plate in the first. UC stranded a runner at first in the top half, while Emma Ruth hit a lead-off double but ran into a tag on a fielder's choice by Autumn Thompson. 

UC went down in order in the second and while Contreras reached on an error she was stranded at first base. UC got a two-out triple in the top of the third but stout defense kept her there. State went down in order in the bottom half of the inning.

UC reached on error in the top of the fourth, but again she was stranded when the next batter grounded out to Ruth at short. In the home half of the fourth, Thompson ripped a single into left center field then stole second. On the next pitch, Kasey Murphy ripped a shot down the left field line that hit the third base bag, allowing Thompson to score easily and Murphy ended up on second. She scored on the next at bat courtesy of a Pauley single, 2-0.

UC tied it up in the top of the sixth inning, 2-2. Another UC error allowed Dillow to reach but she was stranded there when Contreras grounded out to third.

In the top of the seventh, the first two Golden Eagle batters grounded out to Ruth at short. As UC was putting in a pinch hitter, the lights at Lady Jackets Field went out, putting the infield in darkness and delaying the game for about 15 minutes. Eventually, the lights came back up and the pinch hitter grounded out to Ruth.

Clarke Moore stepped up to the plate to start the bottom half of the seventh and on the very first pitch, the light tower on the first base line went out again. The game was halted momentarily for the lights to come back on, but when the tower on the third base line went out, plunging the infield into darkness for the second time, the decision was made to halt the game and resume it at a later time with the game tied 2-2. 

Original source can be found here