Shepherd College Athletics

Karen Burnette recorded seven strikeouts against Wheeling Jesuit.

SHEPHERD DROPS PAIR TO WHEELING JESUIT

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV-- Shepherd University dropped a doubleheader in WVIAC softball action with Wheeling Jesuit University on Thursday at Shepherd. Wheeling took a 2-0 win in game one and gained the sweep with a 2-1 triumph in the nightcap.

The Cardinals scored their only runs in game one in the fifth inning. Julie Sobutka and Shawna Clark singled and a fly ball hit by Theresa Glandon was misplayed by a Ram outfielder allowing Carrie Swart, a pinch runner for Sobutka, to score. Clark later scored when on a Kathleen Donovan ground out.

Mia Zappacosta (Owings Mills, MD/McDonogh HS), Megan Zahnow (Berkeley Springs, WV/Berkeley Springs HS), Brooke Small (Herndon, VA/Herndon HS), and Erika Nagy (Damascus, MD/Damascus HS) all had singles for the Rams.

Ashley Rawson picked up the win for the Cardinals, while Karen Burnette (Yorktown, VA/ Tabb HS) struck out seven in a losing cause for the Rams.

Shepherd took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap in the second when Julie Scherpf (Berkeley Springs, WV/Berkeley Springs HS) singled and later scored on a double off the bat of Mia Zappacosta.

The Cardinals plated two runs in the top of the fourth to earn a hard fought victory. Shawna Clark doubled to score Lakisha Jones and Stevie Goist with the tying and winning runs.

Zappacosta and Scherpf led the Rams with two hits each, while Jones and Jessica Mercer each had a pair of hits for the Cardinals.

Mercer picked up the win in relief of starter Ashley Rawson. Mercer scattered two hits over the final 4 2/3 innings. Shannon Leighty (Carneys Point, NJ/Penns Grove HS) took the loss for Shepherd.

Shepherd falls to 13-17 overall, 6-4 in conference action, while Wheeling Jesuit improves to 22-16, 13-3. The Rams return to action on Saturday when they host West Liberty for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.

Game One

Wheeling Jesuit 000 020 0 2 4 0

Shepherd 000 000 0 0 4 2

Burnette and Nagy; Rawson and Sobutka.

WP: Rawson

LP: Burnette (3-6)

Game Two

Wheeling Jesuit 000 200 0 2 6 0

Shepherd 010 000 0 1 7 1

Leighty and Nagy; Rawson, Mercer (3) and Sobutka.

WP: Mercer

LP: Leighty (2-2)

Megan Zahnow gets ready to make a putout.

Brooke Small makes contact.

Shannon Leighty in action.