TROUTVILLE, Va. – The No. 1 and No. 3 seeds from each division picked up wins on the opening night of the Mountain East Conference Softball Tournament at Botetourt Sports Complex in Troutville, Virginia.
 
In game one of the tournament, the University of Charleston downed West Liberty, 9-0, in a five-inning run-rule game. UC grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and added three more runs in the third to take control of the game.
 
Isabella Andujar made it 2-0 in the first on a two-run home run to left center. Andujar added an RBI double in the fourth. Hannah Meyer also drove in three runs for the Golden Eagles, while Allison Rubal brought home two more.
 
In the circle, Brianna McCown threw a two-hitter, while striking out six batters.
 
On the opposite field in the 5:30 time slot, Davis & Elkins opened up a 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth and held off Frostburg State for a one-run win (5-4).
 
Lilly Saucedo scored D&E’s first run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the first, while Gweny Wessling drove home a run in the second on an infield groundout. Linzey Allard and Allison Cuellar also drove in runs for the Senators in the fifth to make the score 5-1.
 
However, a three-RBI triple by Frostburg's Samara Funk in the bottom of the fifth made it 5-4 with two innings to play. The Bobcats put base runners on in the sixth and seventh, but each time, Sammie Jarvis shut the door to preserve the D&E win on the opening night of the tournament.
 
In the night cap on field three, Fairmont State scored six runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back in a 7-1 win over Concord. A pair of Concord errors and RBI singles by Courtney Moyer, Alexa Andrews and Hannah Workman led the Falcons to the six-run opening inning.
 
Five of Fairmont State’s runs were unearned in the game.
 
Delaney Haller and Alyssa McCormick split pitching duties for the Falcons, with McCormick earning the decision to move to 11-5 on the season.
 
In the night cap on field one, Notre Dame’s Ella Collinsworth hit an RBI single to right field in the sixth to give the Falcons the lead for good, 2-1, over Glenville State.
 
In the low-scoring game, pitching was the story. Notre Dame’s Grace Fisher (W, 17-10) and Glenville State’s Holly Brehm (L, 13-8) combined for 20 strikeouts in the game, with Fisher totaling 12 in her complete game victory. Brehm sat down eight batters in the strong pitching effort.
 
Thursday’s action gets underway with Charleston and Davis & Elkins on field three, and Notre Dame versus Fairmont State on field one. Four elimination games will follow at 2:30 and 5 p.m.
 
Visit Championship Central for complete tournament coverage.