BOX SCORE

BECKLEY, W.Va. – The first day of pool play at the West Virginia Conference tournament ended in heartbreak for West Liberty University's upset-minded baseball team.

The Hilltoppers carried a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth only to see WVIAC South Division champion West Virginia State mount a 3-run rally to escape with a 3-1 victory at Linda K. Epling Stadium.

West Liberty got on the board quickly against Yellow Jacket hurler John Gale.

Trent Chapman led off the game with a single, was sacrificed to second by Andrew Henry and sprinted home when Derek Daugherty rifled a single to left field.

Gale slammed the door the rest of the way, holding the Hilltoppers to just four hits and not allowing a runner past second over the final eight frames, but WLU ace Mike Reef did all he could to make that lone tally stand up.

Reef blanked West Virginia State on just four hits over the first six innings before working himself out of a jam in the seventh.

A double and an error put Yellow Jacket runners on second and third with one out but Reef stiffened to strike out Robert Hawkins for the second out. Joe Jobst followed with a slicing drive down the right field line but right fielder Dillon Mangino made a sliding catch to end the threat, preserving West Liberty's 1-0 lead.

State mounted what proved to be the game-winning rally against WLU reliever Jeff Welsh in the bottom of the eighth.

Bo Darby led off the frame with a single and an error put runners on first and second.

Pinch-hitter Jason Lewis followed with the biggest hit of the game, a triple to the wall which plated the tying and go-ahead runs. Lewis scored on a bunt single by Zach Buckiwicz before Welsh got out of the inning with a double play.

Ryan Zelinski raked a 2-out double in the top of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate for West Liberty but Rudy Nagy flied out to center field to end the game.

Henry had two of the Hilltoppers' six base hits on the day while Zelinski's two-bagger was WLU's lone extra-base knock.

West Liberty goes under the lights on Friday when the Hilltoppers take on Pitt-Johnstown in an 8 p.m. game.

BASEBALL

WVIAC TOURNAMENT

Pool B

W.Va. State 3, West Liberty 1

West Liberty 100 000 000 - 1 6 3

W.Va. State 000 000 03x - 3 8 0

WL: Reef (4SO, 1W), Welsh lp (0SO, 0W) and D.Daugherty. Henry 2S; D.Daugherty S, rbi; Zelinski D

WVS: Gale wp (2SO, 1W) and Fisher, Buchanan (9). Buckiwicz 2S, rbi; Blackhurst 2S; Lewis T, 2rbi; Pickering D