BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team played a little longball Thursday afternoon to salvage a doubleheader split with West Virginia Wesleyan at the Bobcats' Hank Ellis Field.

Trent Chapman's 3-run circuit blast highlighted a 7-run fifth inning uprising as the Hilltoppers rallied to a 13-7 victory in the second game. Wesleyan had pounded out a 13-4 win in the opener.

West Liberty (10-24, 8-10) was on the short end of a 5-3 score in the second game before scoring seven unearned runs with two out in the bottom of the fifth. A pair of walks, three Bobcat errors and RBI singles from Carson Koontz and Derek Daugherty gave the Hilltoppers a 7-5 lead before Chapman's three-run shot put the game on ice.

Zane Madden chased home two runs with a solo homer and RBI single while Mike Johnson and Andrew Henry also contributed RBI base knocks. Ryan Lewicki drove in three runs with a home run, double and single for the Bobcats (17-9, 9-4).

The first game was also decided by a fifth-inning uprising but it was Wesleyan doing the honors as West Liberty saw an early 3-0 lead go by the boards. Adam Lewton's three-run home run – his second hit of the inning – capped an 8-run explosion for the hosts.

Chapman had a pair of singles for the Hilltoppers and Rudy Nagy laced out a two-run single. Daugherty and Ryan Zelinski added RBI singles in a losing cause.

West Liberty remains on the road Friday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Fairmont State.

BASEBALL

W.Va. Wesleyan 13, West Liberty 4

West Liberty 201 000 1 –   4   8  0

W.Va. Wesleyan 004 180 x – 13 16  1

WL: Reef lp (2SO, 1W), Triantafillo (0SO, 2W) and D.Daugherty. Chapman 2S; D.Daugherty D, rbi; Nagy S, 2rbi; Zelinski S, rbi; Madden D

WVW: Defibaugh (2SO, 4W), Gainer wp (4) (2SO, 2W), Benges (7) (0SO, 1W) and Blankenship. Lewton HR, S, 3rbi; Franks D, 2S, 3rbi

West Liberty 13, W.Va. Wesleyan 7

West Liberty 001 273 0 – 13  8  4

W.Va. Wesleyan 003 211 0 –  7 12  5

WL: Stewart wp (2SO, 1W), Peterson (5) (2SO, 1W) and D.Daugherty. Madden HR, S, 2rbi; Chapman HR, 3rbi; Henry S, rbi; D.Daugherty S, rbi; Koontz S, rbi; Johnson S, rbi

WVW: Ware (3SO, 2W), Adams (4) (1SO, 1W), Gainer lp (5) (0SO, 1W), Dobbins (5) (0SO, 2W), Robinson (6) (0SO, 2W), Benges (6) (1SO, 0W) and Webley. Lewicki HR, D, S, 3rbi; Mozingo 2S, rbi; Edwards 2S, rbi