WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday by clinching a Mountain East Conference Tournament berth with an 8-4 win against Wheeling Jesuit at Kovalick Field.
The Ohio County rivals came into the four-game weekend series battling for the sixth and final post-season berth but the Hilltoppers (24-22, 21-17) needed only one win to eliminate the Cardinals (16-25, 16-21) and wasted little time taking care of business.
West Liberty scored three runs in the bottom of the first and then snapped a 3-3 tie with a four-run uprising in the bottom of the fourth en route to locking up an invitation to next week's inaugural MEC Tournament.
Jon-Michael Brunner's RBI single ignited the Hilltoppers' fourth-inning rally which also featured a two-run double off the bat of Jared Carranza and an RBI double by D.J. Busby. Mark Smyth went the distance on the mound for the win, giving up only four hits and one earned run in his seven innings of work while striking out four and issuing four walks. Anthony Pierro led a well-balanced West Liberty attack with three singles and an RBI. Busby continued his strong play with a single, double and RBI while designated hitter Tim Hughes also checked in with a single, double and RBI. The second game of the twinbill was halted by rain after four innings with the Hilltoppers holding a 3-1 lead. It will be resumed at point of interruption Sunday at noon with the regularly-scheduled doubleheader to follow.
BASEBALL
West Liberty 8, Wheeling Jesuit 4
Wheeling Jesuit 102 000 1 – 4 4 2
West Liberty 300 401 x – 8 9 2
WJU: Hudson lp (3SO, 2W), Kernik (4) (0SO, 1W) and Rauch, Dinterman (6). San Felippo HR, rbi
WLU: Smyth wp (4SO, 4W) and Carranza. Pierro 3S, rbi; Busby D, S, rbi; T.Hughes D, S, rbi; Carranza D, 2rbi; Brunner S, rbi
