Baseball | 4/26/2018 12:10:00 AM

Box Score     WASHINGTON, Pa. – The West Liberty University baseball team saw an early lead melt away Wednesday night as California (Pa.) pulled away to a 15-9 win in a scheduled 9-inning game that concluded just before midnight at Wild Things Park.
    Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (14-22) jumped out quickly with a pair of runs in the top of the first but the Vulcans (21-17) took control with a 7-run outburst in the bottom of the second and kept right on rolling.
    After California had pushed the lead out to 13-2, the Black and Gold worked over a trio of Vulcan relivers to plate five runs in the top of the eighth.
    Coby Eckstein highlighted the frame with a two-run double while Ethan Estes drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk and Justice Jackson had an RBI single. The other West Liberty run came home on a Vulcan error. Estes tacked on a two-run homer in the top of the ninth but it still wasn't enough to erase the deficit.
    California pounded out 15 hits – including three home runs – and took advantage of WLU's control problems as four Hilltopper hurlers combined for no strikeouts and nine walks on the night.
    West Liberty smacked out 13 hits of its own with Eckstein and Estes each posting three-hit nights. Eckstein drove in three runs with two doubles and a single while Estes also picked up three RBIs, picking up a single to go along with his circuit blast. Tyler Ramsay had two singles and drove in a run.
    The Hilltoppers return to Mountain East Conference action this weekend with Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders at Fairmont State.
  West Liberty                               200 000 052 -   9  13  1
California (Pa.)                           071 200 32x - 15  15  1
     WLU: Gruber lp (0SO, 3W), Waugh (3) (0SO, 3W), Stewart (4) (0SO, 1W), Coss (8) (0SO, 2W) and Redish. Estes HR, S, 3rbi; Eckstein 2D, S, 3rbi; Ramsay 2S, rbi; Jackson S, rbi
     Cal: Bowser wp (3SO, 2W), Winkler (4) (2SO, 1W), Kail (6) (2SO, 0W), Carter (8) (0SO, 3W), Dudley (8) (0SO, 1W), Serignese (9) (0SO, 1W) and Hitman, Webb (5). Krause 3HR, 3rbi; Marchetti D, 2S, 2rbi; McGrath 3S, 3rbi; Fairman T, 2rbi; Brooks S, 2rbi; Thompson S, rbi; Webb D