Baseball | 4/17/2014 6:45:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2     AVON, Ohio – The West Liberty University baseball team pounded out a 7-1 win in the second game of a Mountain East Conference doubleheader to salvage a split with Notre Dame (Ohio) here Thursday afternoon.
    Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (21-16, 18-11) just missed a sweep as the host Falcons (17-14, 15-11) mounted a late rally to pull out a 7-4 nod in the opener.
    West Liberty wasted little time rebounding from the opening game loss as the Hilltoppers scored five runs in the first two innings of the finale and never looked back.
    Greg Stagani got the win with a strong five innings on the hill, striking out five without walking a batter while giving up just four hits. Tony Fuscardo and Trevor Stewart each tossed an inning of scoreless relief to finish off the hosts.
    Jon-Michael Brunner had a double and a single and drove in a run for the winners, who raked a quartet of Notre Dame hurlers for a dozen base knocks. D.J. Busby, Mike Johnson and Tim Mirandy all had two hits and drove in a run while Anthony Pierro and Clay Francis each doubled.
    In the opener, WLU battled back from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning only to see Notre Dame plate four runs in the bottom of the frame to get the win.
    Mirandy had two singles and an RBI for the Hilltoppers while Pierro tripled home a pair of runs and scored on a passed ball.
    West Liberty heads to Shepherdstown on Friday and Saturday for a crucial four-game series with league-leading Shepherd. Friday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.
 
BASEBALL
Notre Dame 7, West Liberty 4
West Liberty                        000 310 0 - 4  4  0
Notre Dame                        003 004 x - 7  9  0
    WLU: Bond (4SO, 4W), Knisley lp (4) (1SO, 1W), Polanski (7) (0SO, 0W) and Carranza. Mirandy 2S, rbi; Pierro T, 2rbi
    NDC: LaRocca wp (2SO, 2W), Davis (7) (0SO, 0W) and Hurd. Sanders D, S, 4rbi; Ferguson D, S; Beaver 2S, 2rbi; Lett 2S, rbi
 
West Liberty 7, Notre Dame 1
West Liberty                     140 200 0 – 7  12  1
Notre Dame                      000 100 0 – 1    5  3
    WLU: Stagani wp (5SO, 0W), Fuscardo (6) (0SO, 0W), Stewart (7) (0SO, 0W) and Francis. Brunner D, S, rbi; Busby 2S, rbi; Johnson 2S, rbi; Mirandy 2S, rbi; Pierro D; Francis D
    NDC: Gorski lp (0SO, 1W), Cronin (2) (2SO, 0W), Napoli (4) (4SO, 0W), Ineman (7) (2SO, 1W) and Hurd, Stohlman (7). Quick D, S; Mejia S, rbi