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Hilltoppers Keep Postseason Hopes Alive

Baseball | 5/7/2016 8:04:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team kept its postseason hopes alive on Saturday by splitting a Mountain East Conference doubleheader with Wheeling Jesuit at Kovalick Field.
Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers got off to a great start with a 9-0 rout of the Cardinals but WJU pulled out a 4-3 extra-inning win in the finale to salvage the split and remain two games in front of West Liberty for the North Division's third and final MEC Tournament berth.
The Black and Gold (25-23, 13-17) needs to sweep Wheeling Jesuit (16-26, 15-15) in Sunday's season-ending 1 p.m. twinbill at the I-470 fields to finish in a third-place tie.
Saturday was Senior Day at Kovalick Field with the Hilltoppers' seven graduating seniors – Anthony Bond, D.J. Busby, Clay Francis, Jordan Meyer, Chris Secore, Mark Smyth and student assistant coach Darin Heatherington – honored in pre-game ceremonies.
Smyth got the start and was in control throughout as he improved to 8-3 on the season with his school-record 23rd victory. The senior ace scattered six singles while striking out three and walking one in route-going performance.
Busby continued his assault on the WLU record book with two singles, a double and an RBI while Justice Jackson doubled twice and chased home a pair of runs. Mike Adams also picked up two RBIs with a double and a single with Bub Haddox adding two singles and an RBI. Jordon Meyer and Jarred Carranza also singled and drove in a run as Burkle collected his 100th coaching victory.
West Liberty clawed back from a 3-1 deficit with single tallies in the sixth and eighth frames to force the second game into extra innings.
Jesuit used a walk, wild pitch and a grounder up the middle to manufacture the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th. West Liberty loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning but with the tying and winning runs in scoring position, the Cardinals got out of the jam by turning a game-ending double play.
Busby had three of WLU's seven hits and scored a run while Haddox singled and drove in a run and Nolan Marcus added a double.
A returning All-MEC shortstop from St. Clairsville, Ohio, Busby became the school's single-season record-holder for hits (71), runs (46) and singles (63). Bill Beattie's old record of 66 hits had been on the books since 1987 while Billy Rinderer's single-season standard of 44 runs had stood since 2002. Busby broke his own two-year-old singles record.

BASEBALL
West Liberty 9, Wheeling Jesuit 0
Wheeling Jesuit 000 000 0 - 0    6  1
West Liberty 201 060 x - 9  12  0
WJU: Sunnafrank lp (2SO, 2W) and Gaydos. Bruck 2S
WLU: Smyth wp (3SO, 1W) and Carranza. Busby 2S, D, rbi; Jackson 2D, 2rbi; Adams D, S, 2rbi; Haddox 2S, rbi; Meyer S, rbi; Carranza S, rbi

Wheeling Jesuit 4, West Liberty 3
Wheeling Jesuit 002 100 000 1 - 4  7  1
West Liberty 100 001 010 0 - 3  7  1
WJU: Joe wp (4SO, 3W), Hudson (10) (0SO, 1W) and Gaydos. Tony 3S, 2rbi; Dennison S, rbi; Schickler D
WLU: Stagani lp (7SO, 3W) and Francis, Carranza (9). Busby 3S; Haddox S, rbi; Marcus D
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Players Mentioned

Darin Heatherington

#24 Darin Heatherington

P
6' 1"
Senior
Anthony Bond

#11 Anthony Bond

P
6' 0"
Senior
Clay Francis

#13 Clay Francis

C
6' 0"
Senior
Justice Jackson

#12 Justice Jackson

OF
6' 1"
Sophomore
Jordan Meyer

#4 Jordan Meyer

OF
5' 10"
Senior
Nolan Marcus

#10 Nolan Marcus

P/IF
5' 8"
Sophomore
Chris Secore

#20 Chris Secore

P
5' 10"
Senior
Mark Smyth

#14 Mark Smyth

P
6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Darin Heatherington

#24 Darin Heatherington

6' 1"
Senior
P
Anthony Bond

#11 Anthony Bond

6' 0"
Senior
P
Clay Francis

#13 Clay Francis

6' 0"
Senior
C
Justice Jackson

#12 Justice Jackson

6' 1"
Sophomore
OF
Jordan Meyer

#4 Jordan Meyer

5' 10"
Senior
OF
Nolan Marcus

#10 Nolan Marcus

5' 8"
Sophomore
P/IF
Chris Secore

#20 Chris Secore

5' 10"
Senior
P
Mark Smyth

#14 Mark Smyth

6' 2"
Senior
P