Baseball | 4/13/2018 6:16:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
    URBANA, Ohio – The West Liberty University baseball team went on the road Friday to sweep a Mountain East Conference doubleheader at Urbana University.
    Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (12-15, 10-8) rode the strong right arm of Justin Retzer to a 4-2 win in the first game before hammering the host Blue Knights (6-26, 6-12) by a 12-3 count in the finale.
    In the opener, long balls from Ethan Estes and Coby Eckstein provided more than enough support for West Liberty's senior ace.
    Retzer was in control throughout, holding Urbana to just four hits in another route-going performance while striking out nine and issuing only three bases on balls. Retzer improved to 5-2 with his third complete game of the season.
    Chad Matthus got the Hilltoppers on the board with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second and Eckstein pushed the lead to 2-0 with a solo blast in the top of the third. Estes' two-run homer in the top of the fourth made it 4-0 WLU and Retzer took care of the rest.
    West Liberty exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning of the second game to win going away.
    The Hilltoppers had carried a 4-0 lead into the fifth only to see Urbana push three runs across the plate to chase starting pitcher Parker Dyson. Cody Shook came on in relief with two runners on base and only one out but got the next two batters to preserve the one-run lead, setting the stage for WLU's game-clinching sixth inning uprising.
    Justice Jackson homered and singled to drive in a pair of runs while Bub Haddox added a double, single and RBI. Matthus and Nolan Marcus each added two singles while Estes homered again and finished with three RBIs. Nick Bakaitis added a two-run double and Dalton Davis had a run-scoring single as eight of West Liberty's nine starters had at least one hit.
    The Hilltoppers and Blue Knights return to the diamond on Saturday for a noon doubleheader.
  West Liberty                               011 200 0 - 4  6  0
Urbana                                          000 200 0 - 2  4  0
     WLU: Retzer wp (9SO, 3W) and Davis. Davis 2S; Estes HR, 2rbi; Eckstein HR, rbi; Marcus D; Matthus rbi
     Urb: Takakura lp (1SO, 3W), Jessee (3) (5SO, 4W) and Tanner. Losey HR, rbi; Coy S, rbi
  West Liberty                               011 027 1 - 12  12  0
Urbana                                         000 030 0 -   3    7  4
     WLU: Dyson wp (6SO, 4W), Shook (5) (0SO, 0W), Nees (7) ( and Davis. Jackson HR, S, 2rbi; V.Haddox D, S, rbi; Matthus 2S, rbi; Marcus 2S; Estes HR, 3rbi; Bakaitis D, 2rbi; V.Haddox D, S, rbi; Davis S, rbi; Ramsay D
     Urb: Beall lp (2SO, 1W), Guerrero (6) (1SO, 3W) and Tanner. Quiroz 2S, rbi; Losey S, 2rbi