Baseball | 4/30/2011 6:14:19 PM
GAME PHOTOS
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team kept its postseason hopes alive Saturday afternoon by splitting a doubleheader with Ohio County rival Wheeling Jesuit at Kovalick Field.
Mike Reef hurled a 4-hit shutout to spark the Hilltoppers' 4-0 win in the opener but the Cardinals rebounded with an 8-4 decision in the second game to salvage the split.
Reef gave up just four singles while striking out one and issuing just one base on balls in his opening game gem.
The West Liberty (14-31, 11-16) hurler also received some outstanding defensive support as the Hilltopper infield snuffed out potential Wheeling Jesuit (13-22, 11-13) rallies with inning-ending double plays in the second, fourth and sixth frames.
Andrew Nemecek had two of WJU's four singles.
In the second game, Wheeling Jesuit broke open a close contest with three runs on five hits in the sixth inning.
Trent Chapman paced the Hilltopper attack with a solo home run and two singles to drive home three of the hosts' four runs. Johnson added two more singles while
Rudy Nagy had an RBI base knock.
Jordan Medley had a double and two singles for the Cardinals while Robbie Davia had three singles and two RBIs.
The top four teams in each of the West Virginia Conference's two divisions earn WVIAC Tournament invitations. West Liberty, Wheeling Jesuit, Alderson-Broaddus and Pitt-Johnstown are locked in a tight struggle for the final three North Division spots behind front-running Seton Hill.
The Hilltoppers vaulted past Wheeling Jesuit and A-B into third place following their opening game win on Saturday but slipped back to fifth place after losing the second game. Pitt-Johnstown was hosting Shepherd in a twi-night doubleheader on Saturday while Alderson-Broaddus was idle.
West Liberty and Wheeling Jesuit are scheduled to close out the weekend series at Kovalick Field on Sunday with a single 9-inning game at 11 a.m.
BASEBALL
West Liberty 4, Wheeling Jesuit 0
Wheeling Jesuit 000 000 0 – 0 4 4
West Liberty 002 020 x – 4 6 1
WJ: Giebel lp (1SO, 2W), Buffo (4) (0SO, 1W) and Troy. Nemecek 2S
WL: Reef wp (1SO, 1W) and D.Daugherty. Zelinski 2S, 2rbi; Johnson 2S, rbi; D.Daugherty S, rbi
Wheeling Jesuit 8, West Liberty 4
Wheeling Jesuit 300 113 0 – 8 15 1
West Liberty 120 010 0 – 4 9 0
WJ: Kraus wp (2SO, 3W) and Troy. Medley D, 2S, rbi; Davia 3S, 2rbi; Ludewig 2S, 2rbi; Hull 2S, rbi; Troy S, 2rbi
WL: Welsh lp (2SO, 3W), Shyosky (6) (0SO, 1W), Triantafillo (6) (0SO, 1W) and D.Daugherty. Chapman HR, 2S, 3rbi; Johnson 2S; Nagy S, rbi
