Berry, Wolfenbarker honored prior to SSU doubleheader against WV Tech; Bears win 32nd game of 2024 season in DH split (8-1 W, 7-4 L)

The Shawnee State softball program not only honored two four-year contributing seniors, but moved closer to accomplishing a major goal Friday evening.

Needing two wins to clinch the River States Conference's East Division, Shawnee State took the first game of a two-game set against West Virginia Tech by an 8-1 margin as both seniors who are finishing their playing eligibility within the Shawnee State softball program contributed in a major way.

Cassie Berry's complete game three-hitter, along with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate by Brittani Wolfenbarker with a double, an RBI and a run scored, allowed SSU (32-8, 22-8 River States Conference) to move within one game of accomplishing its goal of clinching the RSC-East Division with a huge two-game set against rival Rio Grande to close the regular season Saturday afternoon at home, beginning at 3 p.m.

The duo, who are the first seniors to lead Shawnee State to 31 or more victories in a quarter-century, have helped Shawnee State accumulate 13 mercy-rule victories and, following its victory in the opener of Friday's doubleheader, 10 come-from-behind wins.

Cassie Berry

Having logged 428-and-two-thirds innings pitched over the course of her four-year career, Berry has been a consistent and reliable ace for Shawnee State who logged 12 wins as a sophomore.

Following Friday's victory over West Virginia Tech, Berry now sits with a 13-2 overall record this season inside the circle, has seven complete game performances this season and 31 complete games for her career, and dropped her ERA to a terrific 1.98 from the 2.13 mark it was at entering Friday's doubleheader.

"I could not have been happier with how everything turned out," Berry said. "Coach Bradshaw, Coach Kyne, and the rest of the staff have done an amazing job stepping into this position and taking this group of girls as their team and this program as their own. In this one year alone, they have put so much time and work into the program and the team, showing just how much they care and want us to succeed. I am so excited to see the future of SSU softball excel under their leadership. Additionally, I am so thankful to be surrounded by my teammates who have played a big part in making this year the best. In addition to the high levels of talent they all bring to the field, I can truly say that this group of girls is the most supportive and loving groups I have ever played with, which has played a key role in contributing to our team's success this year."

Brittani Wolfenbarker

Over her four-year career, Wolfenbarker now has 129 career hits following Friday's doubleheader. She has hit at or over .325 in two seasons in her four-year career, and this season, Wolfenbarker is having a career year, with her .408 batting average sitting second among every day players.

While her average is excellent for what is essentially a second leadoff position in the No. 9 hitting slot in the batting order, it's Wolfenbarker's patience at the plate that has been big. The senior has eight doubles, a team-leading four triples, and hit her first home run of the year to help SSU rally from a 4-1 deficit to collect a 6-4 victory over Point Park in Game 2 last Monday. To top it off, Wolfenbarker is one of four everyday players on the Shawnee State roster with more walks (11) than strikeouts (eight) this season.

"This team has such a close bond that will last for years to come," Wolfenbarker said. "We are always together and love each other every day. I have made lifelong friends and memories that I will remember forever. My teammates have helped me strengthen my relationship with God, for which I am forever thankful and without Him nothing would be possible. I couldn't ask for a better coaching staff to step in this year and lead us in this successful season. They have become family, and I am forever grateful for everything they have done for us this year."

Game 1

West Virginia Tech ultimately struck with the opening salvo in Game 1, as a pair of errors and an RBI single by Kaylie Lawrence allowed the Golden Bears to hit the board first and take a 1-0 lead after the opening inning of play.

However, Cassie Berry, who was brilliant throughout Game 1, was never flustered. The senior, in fact, faced just three batters above the minimum over the remainder of Game 1 and struck out five batters while walking only two en route to yet another splendid effort.

Offensively, the Bears roared to life in the middle innings, as a leadoff single by Berry, a sacrifice bunt by Lauren Spears, a single by Sierra Dunnagan and a hit batter allowed Genavie Espinoza to tie the score with her RBI groundout. Then, after a Lexie Lockwood walk loaded the bases again, Allison Tom stepped up in a major way by clearing the bags with her bases-clearing double to right center field, allowing Shawnee State to take a 4-1 lead after three innings of work.

The Bears then added in two additional insurance runs in both the fourth and fifth innings of play. In the fourth, a leadoff double by Brittani Wolfenbarker and a wild pitch that allowed Wolfenbarker to advance to third was followed by a standup RBI triple to the right field fence by Jenna Christopher. An RBI grounder by Berry then pushed the score to a 6-1 count in favor of Shawnee State after the fourth inning of play.

In the fifth frame, Lockwood, who led off the inning with a single, stole second base, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on Wolfenbarker's RBI base knock. Wolfenbarker then later scored on a double steal, giving Shawnee State an 8-1 advantage after five innings complete -- a lead that proved to be too much for West Virginia Tech to come back from.

Game 2

In Game 2, Shawnee State, who fell behind on an RBI single by West Virginia Tech and a home run by the Golden Bears after two-and-a-half innings of work, rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the third frame of action. Cameryn Davidson's leadoff single and an error was followed by a two-out, two-RBI single by Sierra Dunnagan that tied the score at two runs apiece after three innings of work. West Virginia Tech, however, answered, in the top half of the fourth inning with a five-run inning that featured three RBI base hits and two sacrifice fly RBIs, taking a 7-2 lead after four innings of work.

In the seventh frame, the Bears valiantly attempted a rally, getting back-to-back doubles from Amariah Hoerner and Brittani Wolfenbarker and an RBI sacrifice fly by Lauren Spears to rally to within three runs of tying the score, 7-4, with two out in the bottom of the seventh. Dunnagan added in a single to put the tying run on deck, but West Virginia Tech worked out of trouble as the Golden Bears fouled a game-ending RBI groundout to force SSU to settle for the split.

Additional

Shawnee State (32-8, 22-8 River States Conference) will have a massive matchup tomorrow as the Bears host Rio Grande (28-16, 20-10 River States Conference) in a doubleheader that will decide the RSC's East Division Championship. SSU, who leads by two games, needs to at least salvage a split of Saturday's affairs to seal what would be the program's first regular season conference title of any kind since 2010.

SSU softball players that are graduating with degrees will be honored tomorrow afternoon prior to the first pitch of Saturday's afternoon's doubleheader, which begins at 3 p.m. and will be televised https://web.gc.com/teams/39oxmHRxEF3M/2024-spring-shawnee-state-softball.

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