WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team dropped both ends of a Mountain East Conference doubleheader against Fairmont State Saturday afternoon at Kovalick Field.
    The Falcons (24-17, 19-7) came from behind to steal a 3-2 win in the first game before handing the Hilltoppers (11-33, 11-15) a 9-4 setback in the finale.
    In the opener, a two-out throwing error in the top of the seventh allowed Fairmont to score the tying and winning runs and a stellar pitching performance by Justin Pennybacker went for naught.
    Pennybacker had shut the Falcons out on four hits through the first six innings, striking out eight and walking just one before the WLU bullpen took over with a 2-0 lead in the seventh.
    A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out for the visitors and a hit by pitch forced in a run to make it 2-1. Drake Dobson struck out the next batter to put the Hilltoppers one out away from victory but it never came.
    Dobson ran to cover first when the next batter smacked a grounder into the hole between first and second but the throw sailed wide, allowing the runners to score from second and third. The Hilltoppers were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh.
    West Liberty was held to just four singles in the game. Jake Sherman and Ryan Talbert each had RBI base knocks for the Black and Gold.
    In the second game, Fairmont scored in each of the first four innings to open up a 7-0 lead and never looked back. The Hilltoppers broke through with one run in the sixth and added two more in a seventh-inning rally but it was too little, too late.
    Ty Helmke doubled and singled for WLU while Sherman added two more hits and an RBI. Kayne McGee bashed a solo home run, Connor Ferguson doubled home a run and Zach Hawkins also doubled in a losing cause.
    The teams are scheduled to return to Kovalick Field on Sunday for another 1 p.m. doubleheader.
  Fairmont State                      000 000 3 - 3  5  3
West Liberty                          101 000 0 - 2  4  1
     FSU: Cramer (8SO, 2W), Pane wp (6) (4SO, 0W) and Sikoski. Delawder 3S; Musgrove 2S
     WLU: Pennybacker (8SO, 1W), Dobson lp (7) (1SO, 1W) and Rine. Sherman S, rbi; Talbert S, rbi
  Fairmont State                      123 100 2 - 9  13  0
West Liberty                          000 101 2 - 4    7  0
     FSU: Whiteman wp (6SO, 2W), McDade (6) (1SO, 0W), Ricketts (7) (0SO, 1W) and Lanham. Musgrove HR, 2S, 4rbi; Brown D, 2S, rbi; Sabatino HR, S, 3rbi; Haskins S, rbi
     WLU: Brady lp (3SO, 1W), Hess (4) (0SO, 2W), Aulick (4) (3SO, 1W), Cerjan (6) (2SO, 2W), Sinisgalli (9) (0SO, 0W) and Z.Hawkins. Helmke D, S; Sherman 2S, rbi; McGee HR, rbi; Ferguson D, rbi; Z.Hawkins D