West Liberty University Athletics

Toppers Split With OVU

Baseball | 4/21/2011 5:38:18 PM

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WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team saw a potential doubleheader sweep go by the boards Thursday afternoon as Coach Bo McConnaughy's hard-luck Hilltoppers were forced to settle for a split in a makeup twinbill with visiting Ohio Valley.

West Liberty coasted to a 5-3 win in the first game but the Fighting Scots took advantage of some shaky Hilltopper fielding to pull out a 4-3 nod in the finale.

Rudy Nagy got the hosts off to a flying start with a 2-run home run in the first inning of the opener and West Liberty (11-28, 8-14) rode the strong right arm of Alex Triantafillo all the way to the winners circle.

Triantafillo went the distance for his first complete-game win of the season, striking out 5 and walking 4 while scattering 8 hits.

Dillon Mangino backed Triantafillo with 2 singles and an RBI while Mike Johnson added a double and an RBI and Trent Chapman chipped in with an RBI single.

The Hilltoppers squandered another strong pitching performance in the second game as Andrew Hapney gave up just one earned run on five hits through the first six innings only to see Ohio Valley (12-19, 8-13) push across two unearned runs with two out in the top of the sixth to erase a 3-2 West Liberty lead.

Johnson paced the Hilltoppers with a single and a double while Josh Nagel added an RBI single/

West Liberty faces a big test on Friday when the Hilltoppers travel to Greensburg, Pa. for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against league-leading Seton Hill, the No. 3 team in this week's NCAA Division II

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