The Wayne State softball team dropped a pair of one-run games on the first day of play Sunday in the National Training Center Spring Games in Clermont, Fla.
In the opening game, Wayne State dropped a heartbreaking 6-5 loss in 10 innings to Notre Dame College of Ohio.
The Wildcats took one-run leads in the top of the seventh and ninth innings, only to watch Notre Dame College answer with a tying run each time to go with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th.
Wayne State scored single runs in the third, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings. Notre Dame scored three in the fifth and single runs in the seventh, ninth and 10th.
In the Wildcat third, Katelyn Wobken singled and scored on an Alyssa Schropp groundout. Abbie Hix delivered an RBI single in the fifth that scored Emily Chandler.
Freshman Blair Shanks had an RBI single in the sixth that scored Jordyn Breitbarth. Melanie Alyea doubled in the seventh, with pinch runner Jenna Stewart scoring on Breitbarth’s sacrifice fly. Hix produced an RBI single in the ninth that scored Schropp, who started the inning on second as part of the international tiebreaker for the final Wildcat run.
Wayne State outhit Notre Dame College 10-8, led by Hix’s 2-for-5 game with two RBI. Rachel Shumaker also had two hits in the losing effort. Melanie Alyea doubled while Wobken, Chandler, Breitbarth and Shanks each singled.
Nataliah Hopkins (1-4) suffered the pitching loss for the Wildcats despite pitching all 9 2/3 innings. She allowed eight hits and six runs (two earned) with two walks and one strikeout.
In the second game, Wayne State spotted No. 15 West Virginia Wesleyan five runs in the first inning, then rallied before coming up a run short in a 7-6 loss to the Bobcats.
West Virginia Wesleyan struck for five runs in the top of the first inning, but Wayne State countered with two runs in the bottom of the first as Wobken tripled and scored on a Bobcat fielding error while Shumaker delivered an RBI single that scored Schropp with the second run.
After the Bobcats scored two runs in the fourth, the Wildcats answered with three runs to make the score 7-5. Wobken produced her second triple of the game that scored Hix, Shumaker and Hopkins.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Wildcats scored a run and left the tying run on second to end the game. Schropp singled with pinch-runner Sarah Hunter scoring on Melanie Alyea’s double to get the tying run on base, but could not get the extra hit to tie the score as the nationally-ranked Bobcats held on for the win.
Wayne State had eight hits in the game compared to seven by West Virginia Wesleyan. Wobken finished 2 for 4 with a pair of triples and three RBI. Melanie Alyea added an RBI double while Schropp, Chandler, Shumaker, Hix and Hopkins each singled.
Starting pitcher Allison Niemeier (0-2) suffered the pitching loss, charged with five runs on three hits. Hopkins worked the remaining 6 2/3 innings and gave up just four hits and two runs (both unearned) with one strikeout.
The 1-11 Wildcats continue play on Monday at the National Training Center Spring Games, facing Rockhurst at 12 p.m. and Findlay (Ohio) in a 5 p.m. contest.
