• Box Score vs. Charleston (W.Va.)
• Box Score vs. Fairmont State

SALEM, Va. (March 19) – The California University of Pennsylvania softball team split a pair of 2-1 decisions at the Salem Invitational, falling to Charleston (W.Va.) before defeating Fairmont State on Saturday.

With the split, the Vulcans overall record is now 13-7 for the 2011 season while Charleston improves to 11-9 and Fairmont State falls to 6-10.

Against the Golden Eagles, freshman Kaitlyn Schilling (Morrisville, Pa./Pennsbury) suffered the loss (4-2) after working a complete game and allowing 10 hits and two runs (both earned). Charleston starter Stefanie Rossman earned the complete-game victory, allowing nine hits, one run (earned) and striking out eight in 7.0 innings.

Charleston led off the game when three of the first four hitters reached base on singles before Schilling was able to force a pop-out and a ground-out to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.

The Golden Eagles scored first in the top of the sixth, 1-0, when shortstop Ashlea Wallace was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on an RBI single by center fielder Samantha Macias. The Vulcans then loaded the bases in the bottom-half of the inning when senior first baseman Sarah Spiering (Upper Burrell, Pa./Burrell) singled, freshman catcher Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ontario/Streetsville Secondary) reached on an error and freshman right fielder Stephani Ellis (Vancouver, British Columbia/Prince of Wales Secondary) singled, but Rossman retired the side to end the inning.

Charleston added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Wallace. In the bottom of the inning, junior shortstop Jillian Russell (London, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic) connected on a two-out double and scored on a Spiering single to cut the lead to 2-1. After Wideman singled to put runners on first and second, Rossman forced a ground-out to end the game.

Russell, Spiering and senior second baseman Merissa Daley (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) were the only Vulcans to collect multi-hit game, each finishing 2-for-3.

In the second game of the day, freshman Hope Spancake (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) picked up the complete-game win (7-2) after allowing four hits, one run (unearned) and striking out five in 7.0 innings. Nikki Nuzum was saddled with the loss for the Fighting Falcons after allowing four hits, four walks and two runs (both earned) in 6.0 innings.

Fairmont State scored its lone run in the top of the first when first baseman Brittany Tallhamer connected on a two-out RBI double. Cal U answered back with both of its runs in the bottom of the third, 2-1, when freshman shortstop Shelby Lia (Whitby, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a double by Russell, who then scored on a single by Spiering.

Fairmont State had the tying and go-ahead runners on base with two outs in the top of the seventh before Spancake recorded the final out of the game on a strike out.

Spiering was the only Vulcan to post a multi-hit game against the Fighting Falcons, finishing 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI, while Lia and Russell each went 1-for-3.

Cal U returns to action tomorrow, Sunday March 20, at the Salem Invitational when it plays Alderson-Broaddus and Shepherd.