Baseball | 5/9/2014 8:26:00 PM
Box Score BECKLEY, W.Va. – Notre Dame (OH) ended West Liberty's baseball season in heartbreaking fashion here Fridayafternoon, pulling out an 8-7 extra-inning win in a Mountain East Conference Tournament elimination game at Epling Stadium.
Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (26-25) came from behind in the bottom of the ninth to knot the score but the Falcons (25-21) got a two-out RBI single from Bryan Blondeaux in the top of the 10th and WLU couldn't answer. West Liberty had battled back from a pair of 4-run deficits midway through the game.
Notre Dame broke the scoring ice with two runs in the top of the third and added two more in the top of the fifth before the Hilltoppers got on the board.
Jon-Michael Brunner, Clay Francis and D.J. Busby strung together three one-out singles in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the lead to 4-1, but Notre Dame got another run in the top of the sixth to restore the four-run margin at 5-1. West Liberty's bats rumbled to life in the bottom of the sixth. Tim Mirandy doubled, moved to third on a Brian Castilow single and trotted home on an error. Josh Nagel followed with an RBI single that chased NDC starter Jake Welch but the Hilltoppers weren't finished. Brunner lined the first pitch from reliever Simon Davis down the right field line for an RBI double. Francis ripped a line shot to right side of the infield that was flagged down by the second baseman for the first out of the inning.
Busby brought Nagel home with the tying run on an infield grounder before Anthony Pierro flied out to right to end the inning. Notre Dame scratched out single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to take a 7-5 lead but West Liberty battled back again.
Mike Johnson got things started with a one-out single to right and Mirandy brought him in with his second double of the game. The Hilltoppers were down to their final out after Castilow flied out to center but pinch-hitter Taylor Snare came through with a single up the middle to bring Mirandy home with the tying run. West Liberty got the first two outs in the top of the 10th but Travis Smetana kept the inning alive with a double down the left field line - his fifth hit of the game - to set the stage for Blondeaux's game-winning RBI. Notre Dame reliever Zach Gresch retired the Hilltoppers in order in the bottom of the 10th to earn the save.
Brunner had a three-hit day for West Liberty with a double and two singles while Francis and Tim Hughes joined Mirandy with two hits each. Busby singled and drove in a pair of runs. BASEBALL
MEC Tournament
Elimination Game
Notre Dame 8, West Liberty 7
Notre Dame 002 021 011 1 – 8 18 5
West Liberty 000 014 002 0 – 7 15 2
NDC: Welch (3SO, 1W), Davis (6) (0SO, 0W), Napoli wp (9) (0SO, 0W), Gresch (10) (0SO, 0W) and Findlay. Smetana 2D, 3S, 2rbi; Ferguson D, 3S; Quick T, S, rbi; Blondeaux 2S, 2rbi; Findlay 2S, 2rbi
WLU: Stagani (1SO, 0W), Pare (6) (0SO, 0W), Reef lp (7) (2SO, 4W) and Francis. Brunner D, 2S, rbi; Mirandy 2D, rbi; T.Hughes 2S, rbi; Francis 2S; Busby S, 2rbi; Nagel S, rbi; Snare S, rbi
