Baseball | 4/28/2014 12:52:00 AM
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ATHENS, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team got an RBI single from Jon-Michael Brunner with two out in the top of the ninth inning Sunday afternoon to snap a 2-2 tie and pull out a 3-2 extra-inning win against regionally-ranked Concord in the first game of a Mountain East Conference twinbill at Anderson Field. The Mountain Lions (32-14, 29-10), No. 5 in the latest set of NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings, bounced back with an 11-0 win in the second game to salvage a split with Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (23-22, 20-17). In the opener, WLU's Yale Hughes came within one out of hurling a four-hit shutout as Concord's T.J. Brockway laced a two-run single down the right field line to wipe out a 2-0 West Liberty lead with two out in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings. Scott Castilow got the Hilltoppers' game-winning rally started by leading off the ninth with a single. Pinch-runner Tory Fuscardo was sacrificed to second by Tim Hughes, took third on a ground ball to the right side by Taylor Snare and came trotting home on Brunner's clutch single to left. Greg Stagani slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth, retiring the first Mountain Lion batter on a routine grounder before closing out the game with back-to-back strikeouts. Concord avenged that loss in the second game, breaking open a close contest with six runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Pierro had another multi-hit game with a double and a single while Johnson added a double.
The Hilltoppers will close out the regular season at home next weekend with Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders against Ohio County rival Wheeling Jesuit.
BASEBALL
West Liberty 3, Concord 2
West Liberty 010 001 001 – 3 8 0
Concord 000 000 200 – 2 6 1
WLU: Y.Hughes (2SO, 2W), Stagani wp (8) (3SO, 1W) and Carranza. Busby 2S; Pierro 2S; T.Hughes D, rbi; Johnson S, rbi; Brunner S, rbi
Con: Kelly (4SO, 2W), Leather lp (7) (2SO, 0W) and Costa, Goss (8). Groves 2S; Camp 2S; Brockway S, 2rbi
Concord 11, West Liberty 0
West Liberty 000 000 0 – 0 7 0
Concord 020 603 x – 11 16 0
WLU: Reef lp (1SO, 3W), Polanski (4) (0SO, 0W), Knisley (4) (0SO, 0W), Pare (6) (0SO, 1W), Stewart (7) (1SO, 0W) and Francis. Pierro D, S; Johnson D
Con: Mack wp (4SO, 0W), Tucker (0SO, 1W) and Costa, Brockway (6). Miller 3D, rbi; Costa D, 2S, 2rbi
