SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team had to settle for a split of a marathon West Virginia Conference doubleheader at Shepherd on Saturday.

The host Rams got a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th inning to pull out an 8-7 verdict in the nightcap after Coach Bo McConnaughy's Hilltoppers had hammered out a 12-4 win in the opener.

In that first game, West Liberty (9-22, 6-8) pounded 16 hits off four Shepherd (9-14, 5-11) pitchers and Trent Chapman broke the game open with a grand slam in the top of the fifth.

Chapman – the reigning WVIAC Player of the Week – added a pair of singles and finished with six RBIs while Rudy Nagy chased home four runs with a home run, double and single. Andrew Henry, Mike Johnson and Dillon Mangino all had two hits as the Hilltoppers collected their fourth win in the last five games.

In the finale, West Liberty trailed 7-2 heading into the sixth inning but stormed all the way back to force the game into extra innings.

After taking the hill in the sixth inning, Hilltopper reliever Robbie Stewart hurled seven shutout innings of 3-hit relief but the visitors couldn't push across the run they needed to finish off the sweep.

With darkness descending on Fairfax Field, Shepherd's Nash Hutter clubbed a drive over the left field wall with one out in the bottom of the 13th to cap a spectacular performance. The game-winning blast was Hutter's third home run of the game to go along with a double and six RBIs.

Henry drove in two runs with a homer and a single for West Liberty while Zane Madden added three singles. Derek Daugherty had a two-run homer and a single while Mangino and Ryan Zelinski each had a pair of hits. Chapman came through with a two-run triple.

The teams close out the weekend series Sunday at noon with a single 9-inning game.

BASEBALL

West Liberty 12, Shepherd 4

West Liberty 043 040 1 – 12 16  0

Shepherd 103 000 0 –  4    8  2

WL: Reef wp (1SO, 2W) and D.Daugherty. Chapman HR, 2S, 6rbi; Nagy HR, D, S, 4rbi; Henry 2S, rbi; Johnson 2S; Mangino 2S

S: Gallant lp (3SO, 1W), Wiles (3) (2SO, 2W), Beatty (5) (0SO, 1W), McClain (7) (1SO, 0W) and Coffey, Buckley (7). Hutter 2D, 2rbi

Shepherd 8, West Liberty 7

(1 out when winning run scored)

West Liberty 010 014 100 000 0 – 7 14 3

Shepherd 500 020 000 000 1 – 8 13 2

WL: Graham (4SO, 3W), Stewart lp (6) (6SO, 4W) and D.Daugherty. Henry HR, 2S, rbi; Madden 3S; D.Daugherty HR, S, 2rbi; Mangino 2S, rbi; Zelinski 2S; Chapman T, 2rbi;

S: Hvozdovic (4SO, 1W), Byrd wp (6) (8SO, 1W) and Coffey. Hutter 3HR, D, 6rbi; Scoville 4S