West Liberty University Athletics

Big Inning Keys Split for Hilltopper Baseball

Baseball | 3/24/2017 6:46:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team used a 10-run inning to come away with a split in Friday afternoon's Mountain East Conference doubleheader against Concord at Kovalick Field.
Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (10-6, 5-1) were 5-0 shutout victims in the opener but the bats rumbled to life in a big way in the finale, hammering the Mountain Lions (10-12, 4-2) by an 11-1 tally.
After winning the first game, Concord took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning of the second game before the Black and Gold got down to business.
The Hilltoppers sent 15 batters to the plate during a marathon at-bat, pounding out eight hits – all singles – while taking full advantage of an error, walk and hit-by-pitch to push 10 runs across the plate and break the game open.
Coby Eckstein had three singles and scored a pair of runs to pace the WLU attack. Tim Hughes knocked in three runs with two singles while Mike Adams had two hits and two RBIs. Bub Haddox singled and drove in a pair of runs while Justice Jackson, Yale Hughes and Nolan Marcus all weighed in with RBI singles.
Justin Retzer held the visitors to just one run over the first seven innings to pick up the win, striking out six and walking two.
West Liberty couldn't get anything going against Concord starter Troy Beckner in the opener. The sophomore southpaw fired a 4-hit shutout, striking out 5 with only one base on balls.
The Mountain Lions grabbed a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Jordan Clark in the top of the second and gave Beckner more than enough insurance with back-to-back two-run innings in the third and fourth frames. Alex Rojas accounted for half of WLU's hits with a single and a double.
West Liberty returns to Kovalick Field on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against UVa-Wise.

BASEBALL
Concord 5, West Liberty 0
Concord 012 200 0 - 5 8 1
West Liberty 000 000 0 - 0 4 1
Con: Beckner wp (5SO, 1W) and Williams. Clark HR, S, rbi; Wiersma D, rbi; Neff S, 2rbi; Williams S, rbi; Garcia D
WLU: Pare lp (8SO, 2W), Vlakley (7) (0SO, 0W) and Rojas. Rojas D, S

West Liberty 11, Concord 3
Concord 010 000 002 - 3 10 1
West Liberty 000 (10)00 00x - 11 11 3
Con: Southcott lp (2SO, 3W), Abernathy (4) (7SO, 4W) and Williams. Neff 3S; Wiersma 2S, rbi; Frazier D, S, rbi; Divers S, rbi;
WLU: Retzer wp (6SO, 2W), Maloney (8) (0SO, 3W) and Rojas, Harper (8). Eckstein 3S; T.Hughes 2S, 3rbi; Adams 2S, 2rbi; V.Haddox S, 2rbi; Jackson S, rbi; Y.Hughes S, rbi; Marcus S, rbi

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Players Mentioned

#7 Coby Eckstein: IF; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#1 Tim Hughes: IF; 6' 0"; Senior

#16 Yale Hughes: P; 6' 4"; Senior

#12 Justice Jackson: OF; 6' 1"; Junior

#10 Nolan Marcus: P/IF; 5' 8"; Junior

#4 Alex Rojas: C; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#7 Coby Eckstein
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: IF

#1 Tim Hughes
: 6' 0"; Senior
: IF

#16 Yale Hughes
: 6' 4"; Senior
: P

#12 Justice Jackson
: 6' 1"; Junior
: OF

#10 Nolan Marcus
: 5' 8"; Junior
: P/IF

#4 Alex Rojas
: 5' 11"; Senior
: C