photo by: Kim North

Wheeling Park’s Abigail O’Donnell (10) slides safely into second base as John Marshall shortstop Kaylee White fields the throw during Wednesday’s game in Glen Dale. The Patriots disrupted for eight runs in the seventh for a 9-2 win.

GLEN DALE – If the old adage that hitting is contagious is in fact true, expect the Wheeling Park softball team to be absent from school on Thursday.

The Patriots (8-9) banged out 16 hits – nine in an 8-run top of the seventh – in defeating nemesis John Marshall, 9-2, Wednesday night on sun-soaked, but cool, Monarch Field. The come-from-behind victory was the first for Wheeling Park over its northern panhandle rival since 2019 and avenged a 2-1 reversal earlier in the season.

“It took awhile for us to get going against Shelby (Crow). She pitched a good game,” Wheeling Park head coach Pat Durkin said. “I think maybe she got a little tired there in the seventh and our bats got hot.”

Trailing 2-1 entering their last at-bat, the Patriots, who had been held to seven hits in the first six frames, exploded in the fourth go-round against John Marshall’s Shelby Crow. Winning pitcher Delaney Randolph doubled to the fence in right-center leading off to set the tone. Alivia West followed with a single and Rylie Braunlich brought in courtesy runner Harmony Bittner with a single.

Abby Harmon’s groundout made it 3-2 as West raced home. Belle Thomas’s single upped the count to 3-2 before Kyla Cunningham singled and Brenna Tipton doubled to make it 5-2. Brynn Ernest belted a two-run double to make it 7-2 and Randolph, batting for the second time in the inning, sent another two-run double to the fence in center.

“They hit the ball really well, but we also booted it a couple of times there,” John Marshall (7-8) head coach Rob Blake said. “We’re a young group that is going through a lot of growing pains this year. We work on these things every day in practice, but when we get in a game situation, we just fall apart at the seams.

“It was a good win for them.”

Ernest (single, 2 doubles) and Grace Tamburin (3 singles) led the Wheeling Park 16-hit attack. Tipton (single, double), Randolph (2 doubles) and Cunningham (2 singles) all enjoyed multi-hit outings.

Randolph went the distance inside the circle. She struck out seven, walked two and gave up nine hits.

“I thought Delaney really battled out there,” Durkin said. “She did a nice job.”

Crow finished with two strikeouts and no walks. She was relieved by Lily Dijkstra in the seventh.

John Marshall was led at the plate by Crow and Joelle Gonchoff who each singled twice. Kaylee White and Paislee Babiczuk each singled in a run.

John Marshall hits the road today at Parkersburg South while Wheeling Park welcomes Morgantown to Ohio County.