Baseball | 3/18/2016 7:25:00 PM
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ATHENS, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team split a doubleheader at Concord on Friday, rallying for a 6-5 extra-inning win in the first game before dropping a 12-7 verdict in the second game.
In the opener, Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (9-5) were down to their last strike when Bub Haddox singled home the tying run in the top of the seventh. The Black and Gold followed that up with two more tallies in the top of the eighth to pull out the win. Tim Hughes put WLU ahead to stay with one out in the eighth when he launched an 0-2 pitch over the right field fence. Ethan Estes lined out to short but Nolan Marcus doubled and came around to score a crucial insurance tally on a Clay Francis single. Concord (6-11) got one run back in the bottom of the eighth but Hilltopper workhorse Mark Smyth stranded the tying and winning runs on base to finish off the complete-game win. D.J. Busby paced a 14-hit barrage with three singles, a double and an RBI. Haddox and Michael Adams each had a double and single and drove in a run while Tim Hughes had a single to go along with his tie-breaking home run. In the second game, West Liberty appeared well on its way to a sweep when the visitors jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first two innings.
The Mountain Lions had other ideas, however, knotting the score with four runs of their own in the bottom of the third and then breaking the game open with a six-run uprising in the bottom of the fifth to salvage the split.
Justice Jackson had three hits for the Hilltoppers while Haddox drove in a pair of runs with a triple and a single. Busby and Jordon Meyer each added two singles and an RBI with Clay Francis adding an RBI single. The Hilltoppers continue their southern swing on Sunday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at UVA-Wise.
BASEBALL
West Liberty 6, Concord 5
West Liberty 000 210 12 - 6 14 1
Concord 100 111 01 - 5 11 2
WLU: Smyth wp (6SO, 2W) and Francis. Busby D, 3S; Haddox D, S, rbi; Adams D, S, rbi; T.Hughes HR, S, rbi
CU: Kelly lp (3SO, 0W) and Williams. Sullivan D, 2S, rbi; Szamski 2S, rbi; Williams S, rbi; Cassada D.
Concord 12, West Liberty 7
West Liberty 310 001 2 - 7 11 3
Concord 004 062 x - 12 12 2
WLU: Stagani lp (5SO, 4W), Murray (6) (1SO, 1W), Meyer (6) (0SO, 2W) and Francis. Jackson 3S; Haddox T, S, 2rbi; Busby 2S, rbi; Meyer 2S, rbi; Francis S, rbi
CU: Frazier wp (1SO, 3W) and Williams. Seigel T, S, 4rbi; Williams D, S, 2rbi; Wiersma 2S, rbi; Sullivan S, rbi; Clark S, rbi
