West Liberty, W.Va. – It was a tale of two games on Sunday afternoon as the West Liberty University baseball team battled back from a 14-6 loss to No. 10 regionally-ranked Salem in game one and earned a split with a 15-11 win in game two. In the opening game the Tigers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after the first two innings and put the game out of reach with an 8-run fourth inning, before Bryce Winter took the mound and stalled the momentum to allow the Hilltoppers to cut into the deficit late. In game two the teams traded punches in the early innings, but 14 runs in the first three innings for the Black & Gold and 12 unanswered runs proved large enough to fend off a late Salem rally.

QUICK DETAILS – GAME 1
Final Score: West Liberty 6, Salem 14
Team Records: West Liberty 7-25 (4-12 MEC), Salem 22-12
Attendance: 147
Pitching Decision: Win: Frankie Gulko (6-3), Loss: Jacob Watson (1-2)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• West Liberty got out of the top of the first inning by turning a double play after allowing Salem to score one run on a standup RBI double to right field earlier in the frame.
• The Tigers tacked on five more runs off four hits and a pair of Hilltopper errors in the top of the second inning, scoring one run off a wild pitch, one run off a single to center field, another run off a wild pitch, one run off an error, and one run off a double to left center to push the score to 6-0.
• A double play halted the momentum that was building for WLU in the bottom of the second. The Hilltoppers saw a pair of players get aboard with no outs, as Trevor Thomas reached by way of an error by the third baseman and Will Balgo singled through the left side, however the double play and a ground out to second base ended the frame without getting a run across the board.
• Jacob Watson settled in on the mound as the Black & Gold sent Salem down in order in the top of the third and collected his first strikeout of the contest to end the frame.
• West Liberty was able to find their first run of the game in the bottom of the third as a double to center field from James Salvatori brought home Noah Mildren, who had knocked a double to left field earlier in the frame, making it a 6-1 ball game. Salvatori moved up to third with a stolen base the ensuing at-bat and Brad Goodyear drew a walk, however the runners would be left stranded on the corners as a strikeout ended the scoring in the inning.
• Salem broke the game open in the top of the fourth inning as they scored eight runs off four hits and one WLU error to extend their lead to 14-1. The Tigers scored one run off a sacrifice fly out to center field, one run off an error, one run off a single through the right side, one run off a passed ball, one run off a bases loaded walk, one run off a sacrifice fly out to right field, and two runs off a single to right center.
•  The Tigers threatened to score once again in the top of the fifth inning, however Bryce Winter immediately shut down a bases loaded situation with no outs. After taking the mound he struck out the first two batters he faced, and the frame ended with a fielder's choice out.
• West Liberty added a run in the bottom of the fifth as a single to left field by Salvatori brought home Mildren, who knocked a leadoff single to right field to get the inning started, bringing the score to 14-2.
• The Hilltoppers continued to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning with four runs in the frame. The first run came as Mildren hit a sacrifice fly out to right field to score Kobe Hill, and then later in the frame Salvatori and Goodyear were each hit by a pitch in bases loaded situations to score Alex Hawkins and Kameron Jackson. The scoring in the inning ended as Ryan Talbert crossed the plate as runners advanced on a balk call.
• Winter continued to shut down the Salem offense as he only allowed one hit during the final three innings of play and sent five batters down on strikes as he set a new season-high in the category.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS – GAME 1
Noah Mildren: 2-for-3, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored
James Salvatori: 2-for-3, 1 double, 3 RBI, 1 stolen base
Bryce Winter: 3.0 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 runs allowed, 5 strikeouts
 
QUICK DETAILS – GAME 2
Final Score: West Liberty 15, Salem 11
Team Records: West Liberty 8-25 (4-12 MEC), Salem 22-13
Attendance: 147
Pitching Decision: Win: Craig Wilson (1-1), Loss: Colby Scheuber (2-5), Save: Brady Harmon (1)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• Salem struck first in the top of the first inning as an RBI single to center field made it a 1-0 ball game, while two more base runners remained stranded.
• West Liberty responded with back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the first inning as Brad Goodyear sent a 2-run shot over the left field fence and the ensuing at-bat Trevor Thomas launched a solo shot over the left field fence to take a 3-1 lead.
• The Tigers added five runs off a pair of hits as a bases loaded walk allowed one run to cross the plate and the ensuing at-bat a grand slam over the left field fence brought the score to 6-3 in favor of Salem.
• The back-and-forth action continued into the bottom half of the second as WLU regained the lead with seven runs off six hits and one SU error. The first pair of runs came as Garrett Scott and Kobe Hill scored off a single up the middle by Noah Mildren. During the ensuing at-bat as Mildren stole second base, it allowed Luke Marsh to advance home and tie the game at six apiece. The Black & Gold gained the lead as Ryan Talbert hit a sacrifice fly out to center field to bring home Mildren. Later in the frame Thomas hit a double to left center to score Salvatori and Goodyear. The final run of the frame occurred as Thomas crossed the plate on a Will Balgo single to center field.
• The first scoreless frame of the contest came as Craig Wilson and the WLU defense held Salem without a run in the top of the third, allowing for the Hilltopper bats to extend their lead in the bottom of the third with four more runs. A triple by Talbert down the right field line scored Marsh, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Mildren, who knocked a single up the middle. Two at-bats later Goodyear grounded out to second base to score Talbert, and the final run of the frame came as Balgo doubled to left field to bring home Thomas and make it a 14-6 ball game.
• West Liberty continued to shut down the Tiger offense, as they left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth and one runner was stranded in the top of the fifth.
• The Black & Gold's final score of the game occurred in the bottom of the fifth as Talbert hit a leadoff double to left center and then came around to score the ensuing at-bat as Salvatori singled to center field, making it a 15-6 lead for WLU.
• The Tigers began to rally in the final two innings, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth with an RBI single and a 2-RBI single up the middle. Salem added a 2-run homerun over the right field fence in the top of the seventh, however Brady Harmon settled back in to record the final three outs for the Hilltopper win.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS – GAME 2
Ryan Talbert: 3-for-3, 1 double, 1 triple, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored
Trevor Thomas: 3-for-4, 1 double, 1 homerun, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored
Brad Goodyear: 2-for-4, 1 double, 1 homerun, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty and Salem will return to Kovalick Field tomorrow afternoon as they wrap up the final two games of a 4-game, non-conference series. The Hilltoppers and the Tigers are set for a 1 and 4 p.m. first pitch in their pair of match-ups on Monday.