WASHINGTON, Pa. – The West Liberty University and Fairmont State baseball teams split a makeup doubleheader at Consol Energy Park on Wednesday.
Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (16-11, 13-7) rolled to a 6-0 win in the opener but the Falcons (5-17, 5-13) were able to pull out a 4-3 extra-inning decision in the finale. In the opener, Sean Pare and Bruce Knisley combined on a 5-hit shutout and West Liberty pounded out 11 hits to win going away. Pare worked the first six innings for the win, striking out four and walking only one, before Knisley retired the side in order in the seventh.
D.J. Busby led the WLU barrage with a trio of singles while Anthony Pierro chased home three runs with a double and a single. Jared Carranza also contributed a double and a single with Dylan Pounds adding two singles and an RBI. In the second game, the Hilltoppers scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh frames to erase a 3-0 Fairmont lead only to see the Falcons scratch out a run in the top of the eighth to get the nod.
West Liberty hits the road on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Urbana.
BASEBALL
West Liberty 6, Fairmont State 0
Fairmont State 000 000 0 – 0 5 0
West Liberty 000 150 x – 6 11 3
FSU: Holt lp (2SO, 1W), Fitzwater (5) (1SO, 0W) and Orr. Wine D, S
WLU: Pare wp (4SO, 1W), Knisley (7) (1SO, 0W) and Carranza. Busby 3S; Pierro D, S, 3rbi; Carranza D, S; Pounds 2S, rbi
Fairmont State 4, West Liberty 3
Fairmont State 101 100 01 – 4 12 1
West Liberty 000 011 10 – 3 7 0
FSU: Lilly (1SO, 0W), Badertscher (3) (3SO, 2W), Mayle wp (6) (2SO, 0W) and Campbell. Rush 2D, S, rbi; Zombro 3S, rbi; Walter 2S, rbi; Coleman 2S, rbi; Tallhammer 2S
WLU: Bond (3SO, 0W), Polanski (5) (0SO, 0W), Fuscardo (6) (3SO, 0W), Stagani lp (8) (0SO, 0W) and Francis, Carranza (8). Pierro 2S; Mirandy S, rbi; Castilow S, rbi
