GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Lock Haven (Pa.) rallied from three runs down in the bottom of the ninth here Friday afternoon to hand the West Liberty University baseball team a frustrating 10-9 loss in the PSAC/MEC Crossover event at the Sue Morris Sports Complex.
    Coach Eric Burkle's hard-luck Hilltoppers (0-7) had scored twice in the top of the ninth to open up a 9-6 lead but it wasn't enough to hold off the Bald Eagles (2-3).
    After Lock Haven loaded the bases with two singles and a walk, leadoff man Liam McArthur tied the game with a bases-clearing double and moved up to third on an error. West Liberty walked the next two batters to set up a force at home but a passed ball brought McArthur racing home with the winning run.
    The loss spoiled a strong mound effort by WLU starter Parker Dyson, who held Lock Haven to just two runs on two hits over the first six innings – striking out 9 and walking 2 – before turning it over to the bullpen with a 4-2 lead in the seventh.
    The Bald Eagles took a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh when Jimmy Webb launched a 2-out grand slam over the left field fence but the Hilltopper bats responded with some 2-out lightning of their own in the top of the eighth.
    With 2 out and nobody on, West Liberty loaded the bases on a walk and two singles and Coby Eckstein followed with a game-tying 2-run single through the left side of the infield. Lock Haven went to its bullpen with runners on first and second only to see the relief pitcher hit the next two batters to force in the go-ahead run.
    Lock Haven went down in order in the bottom of the eighth and the Hilltoppers got a suicide squeeze RBI from Jason Schutte and an RBI single from Chad Matthus to take the 9-6 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
    West Liberty worked over a trio of Bald Eagle pitchers for a total of 15 hits. Schutte came up a triple shy of the cycle with a home run, double, single and 3 RBIs while Matthus chased home a pair of runs with a double and 2 singles. Jared Houser also had a 3-hit game with a double, 2 singles and an RBI while Eckstein had a pair of singles and Jarrett Delbrugge doubled.
    Weather permitting, the Hilltoppers will return to the Sue Morris Complex on Saturday for a 9-inning game against Clarion (Pa.).
  West Liberty              100 300 032 –   9  15  1
Lock Haven                110 000 404 – 10    9  1
     WLU: Dyson (9SO, 3W), Blomquist lp (7) (2SO, 3W) and Davis. Schutte HR, D, S, 3rbi; Matthus D, 2S, 2rbi; Houser D, 2S, rbi; Eckstein 2S, 2rbi; Davis S, rbi; Ja.Delbrugge D
     LHU: Slinger (6SO, 3W), Reicoff (6) (3SO, 1W), Keller wp (8) (1SO, 1W) and Zgleszewski. McArthur D, S, 3rbi; Zgleszewski 2S; Webb GSHR, 4rbi