BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – The West Liberty baseball team secured a 2-1 victory over Bluefield State in the opener of their Thursday doubleheader, capitalizing on a passed ball and a timely sacrifice fly to earn the win.
Bluefield State struck first in the bottom of the first inning when Andrew Scarberry's RBI single brought Anderson Moreno home for an early 1-0 lead.
West Liberty responded in the second, as Will Balgo crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Kobe Hill to even the score at 1-1. The Hilltoppers then took the lead in the fifth inning when Noah Mildren scored on a passed ball, putting WLU ahead 2-1.
On the mound, Mason Bille (7-7) delivered a dominant complete-game performance for West Liberty, allowing just four hits and one run while striking out five in seven innings of work. His counterpart, Grayson Peel (1-5), also went the distance for Bluefield State, giving up seven hits and two earned runs while striking out three in the losing effort.
Jacob Sherman led West Liberty's offense with a pair of hits, including a double, while Mildren and Balgo each recorded a run.
Game 2
After a wild back-and-forth battle, West Liberty came up just short in Game Two of their doubleheader against Bluefield State, falling 13-12 in extra innings.
The game featured explosive offense from both teams, with multiple lead changes and late-game drama. Bluefield State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on a two-run single from Caleb Roofe and an RBI single by Tyson Mickie. West Liberty responded in the second, with Will Balgo scoring on a groundout by Kobe Hill to cut the deficit to 3-1.
After Bluefield State extended their lead to 4-1 in the third, West Liberty fought back in the fourth with RBI doubles from Hill and Kameron Jackson to bring the score to 4-3. However, Bluefield State answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Angel Martinez, to push their lead to 7-3.
The Hilltoppers refused to go away, storming back with four runs in the sixth, including a three-run triple by Noah Mildren and a wild pitch that allowed him to score, making it a 10-7 ballgame. Bluefield State's Martinez hit a solo homer in the bottom half, extending the lead to 11-7.
West Liberty staged another late-inning rally in the eighth, scoring three runs to make it 11-10 before tying the game in the ninth on a Bluefield State error and a sacrifice fly from Jacob Sherman.
With the score knotted at 12-12 heading into extra innings, Bluefield State secured the walk-off win in the tenth when Roofe singled home Nick Diaz to seal the 13-12 victory.
Mildren led West Liberty's offense with three RBIs, while Hill and Connor Huzicka each recorded two RBIs. On the mound, Ryan Clark (0-1) took the loss, while Will Ricketts (1-4) earned the win for Bluefield State
The Hilltoppers will continue their road trip with a doubleheader Friday at West Virginia State, before wrapping up their southern West Virginia swing with a stop at the University of Charleston on Saturday.
