PITTSBURGH-Pioneers explode for 31 hits and 21 runs over the two games as they split with West Liberty in a high-scoring doubleheader at Fairhaven Park.

GAME ONE: WEST LIBERTY 17 – 12 POINT PARK
W: Tapman (3-7) | L: Johnson (8-16)

West Liberty struck early in game one and never really let up. Jillian Morr doubled to left center with one out and Jaden Conrad followed with an RBI single. Rylee Mangold added another RBI double, and after a walk, Shelby Harris and Ashlyn Tapman both delivered run-scoring hits to give the Hilltoppers a quick 5-0 lead.

The visitors added on again in the third, extending the lead to 7-0, but Point Park answered in a big way in the bottom half. Mia Arndt reached and stole second, Gianna Welsh drove in the first run, and Shania Cope delivered the biggest swing of the inning with a three-run homer to left, her third of the season, cutting the deficit to 7-4. All four runs in the inning were unearned.

West Liberty responded immediately, putting up another big inning to stretch the lead to 12-4, continuing a theme of answering every Pioneer push.

Point Park kept battling. In the fifth, Cope scored on a Jana Hess single to avoid the run rule, and the Pioneers added another run on an error to make it 12-6. In the sixth, Emma Henry gave Point Park life again with a three-run home run to left center, the no-doubter was her third of the season and cut the deficit to 15-10.

West Liberty added two more in the seventh, but the Pioneers had one final push. Arndt recorded another hit and scored, and Welsh tripled home a run, but the comeback fell short as Point Park dropped game one 17-12.

Arndt led the way with four hits, while Welsh and Hess each added three. Cope and Henry both homered as the Pioneers finished with 17 hits. 

Tapman earns the win for West Liberty as she went three innings giving up four runs (all unearned) on six hits while striking out two. Mangold would relieve her going four innings giving up eight runs (seven earned) on eleven hits and one strikeout. Johnson takes the loss for Point Park as she went four innings, giving up twelve runs on fourteen hits and struck out one.
 

GAME TWO: POINT PARK 9 – 6 WEST LIBERTY

W: Henry (2-15) | L: Pettit (8-9)

Game two featured more back-and-forth action early, but this time Point Park found a way to close it out.

The Pioneers struck first as Cam Mann reached on an error and came around to score on a Gianna Welsh single, marking her 100th career hit. They added another in the second as Emma Henry tripled and later scored to make it 2-0.

West Liberty answered with three runs in the third and added another in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead, but Point Park responded again. Welsh doubled, and Cope drove her in to tie the game at three, and the Pioneers would later tie it again at four in the fourth inning.

The turning point came in the fifth. Welsh, Cope, and Henry loaded the bases with no outs, and the Pioneers took advantage. Jana Hess drew a bases-loaded walk, Payton Haller brought in a run on a groundout, and Kaylee Fabiano delivered a two-RBI single to give Point Park an 8-5 lead.

West Liberty added one more run, but Point Park answered with an insurance run in the sixth as Cope scored on a Hess single to make it 9-6.

Henry earns her second win of the season. She struck out two but gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits in the complete game. Pettitt takes the loss for the Hilltoppers as she went four innings, giving up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits and struck out two.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

• Arndt: 5-9, 3 runs
• Welsh: 7-9, 3 RBIs, 2 runs (100th career hit)
• Cope: 4-8, 4 runs, 4 RBIs, HR
• Henry: 4-8, 3 runs, 3 RBIs, HR + complete game win
• Hess: 5-7, 3 runs, 3 RBIs
• Fabiano: 2-6, 2 RBIs

UP NEXT

Point Park will play their final two games of the 2026 season on Friday, May 1 as they host Wheeling at Fairhaven Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.