Baseball | 3/1/2020 7:31:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3     WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team handed Malone (Ohio) its first loss of season this weekend in a chilly – and occasionally snowy – three-game series at Prasco Park.
    Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (2-8) handed the Pioneers (5-1) a 7-4 setback in the 9-inning series opener but came up short in Saturday's scheduled doubleheader by scores of 7-5 and 5-2.
    The first game began on Friday and didn't wrap up until Saturday morning but it was worth the wait for the Black and Gold.
    With the mercury hovering in the low 30s, the Hilltoppers turned up the heat in the top of the fourth with five straight two-out hits producing four unearned runs and a 4-0 lead.
    As snow began to fall, Malone took advantage of two WLU errors to plate an unearned run in the top of the fourth but Tyler Blomquist came on in relief to snuff the rally with a pickoff and a strikeout.
    With the snow and wind intensifying, the game was suspended in the fifth inning and the teams picked up where they had left off on Saturday morning.
    West Liberty scored twice in the sixth and added another in the seventh to put the game out of reach, 7-1. Blomquist picked up the win with 5 2/3 innings of solid relief and the Hilltopper offense pounded out a season-high 15 hits.
    Jason Schutte had a double and three singles while Tyler Ramsay continued his hot start to the season, driving in three runs with a home run and two singles. Jared Houser singled twice and drove in a run with Colton Coss also picking up a pair of base knocks. Chad Matthus and Bailey McGrath added RBI singles.
    West Liberty scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh in Saturday's opener but it wasn't enough to overcome a 7-0 deficit. McGrath had two more singles and Kaden Blomquist delivered a pinch-hit 2-run double. Ramsay and Ty Helmke added RBI singles and Houser doubled in a losing cause.
    In the series finale, the Hilltoppers scored twice in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead but were blanked on just two singles the rest of the way.
    Schutte doubled to lead off the game and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Coss. Ramsay drove in the second run with a fielder's choice.
    Next up for the Hilltoppers is a weekend non-conference series at Pitt-Johnstown. West Liberty and UPJ will play back-to-back 1 p.m. doubleheaders at the Mountain Cats' Point Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
     West Liberty                                         000 402 100 – 7  15  3
Malone (Ohio)                                     000 100 030 – 4    5  3
     WLU: Nees (5SO, 1W), T.Blomquist wp (4) (3SO, 0W) and Rine. Schutte D, 3S; Ramsay HR, 2S, 3rbi; Houser 2S, rbi; Coss 2S; Matthus S, rbi; McGrath S, rbi
     MU: C.Yoder lp (2SO, 2W), Mills (5) (3SO, 0W), Kontur (8) (0SO, 1W), Maurer (9) and B.Yoder. Crank S, 2rbi; Hite S, rbi
  Malone (Ohio)                                     200 003 2 – 7  7  3
West Liberty                                         000 000 5 – 5  8  4
     MU: Mullet wp (6SO, 2W), Stahl (7) (1SO, 2W), Jones (7) (0SO, 1W), Cooper (7) (1SO, 0W) and Eslich. Gingerich T, S, 3rbi; Cobb D, S; Wisner S, 2rbi; Hite S, rbi
     WLU: Aulick lp (5SO, 4W), Orillion (6) (2SO, 1W) and Rine. McGrath 2S; K.Blomquist D, 2rbi; Ramsay S, rbi; Helmke S, rbi; Houser D
  West Liberty                                         200 000 0 – 2  3  3
Malone (Ohio)                                     010 220 x – 5  6  0
     WLU: Leonard lp (3SO, 6W), Sinisgalli (4) (0SO, 0W), Pennybacker (4) (1SO, 3W), Bolander (6) (0SO, 0W) and Cooley. Schutte D, S; Coss S, rbi
     MU: Balzano (0SO, 0W), Walker (1) (8SO, 1W), Cooper (7) (2SO, 0W). Hill 2S, rbi; Crank S, rbi