CLARION, Pa. – West Liberty's bats came alive early, and a strong pitching effort secured a 10-3 victory over Clarion in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.
The Hilltoppers (5-7) wasted no time getting on the board as Jacob Sherman scored on a William Glick RBI single in the first inning. West Liberty continued to build its lead in the second, with Noah Mildren's RBI triple plating Adam Och before Mildren scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.
Glick continued his big day in the third, launching a solo home run to left-center. Later in the inning, an error by Clarion's shortstop allowed two more runs to cross, extending the Hilltoppers' lead to 6-0.
Clarion (5-6) took advantage of an error in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three unearned runs to cut the deficit in half. However, West Liberty responded immediately in the fourth, with Ryan Talbert driving in a run before Glick crushed his second home run of the game, a two-run shot down the left-field line, putting WLU ahead 9-3.
Och added an RBI double in the seventh to bring home the final run for West Liberty.
Glick led the offensive charge, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Mildren added an RBI triple and scored twice, while Och finished with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.
On the mound, Ethan Conley started and went three innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits. Kristopher Skeen (1-1) earned the win in relief, tossing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Drake Dobson closed out the game with a clean seventh inning, striking out two.
West Liberty finished with 11 hits.
Game 2
West Liberty's offense erupted early and never looked back, securing a commanding 16-2 victory over Clarion in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader to complete the sweep.
The Hilltoppers (6-7) wasted no time, putting up a massive 12-run second inning to take full control. Kobe Hill sparked the rally with a three-run triple down the left-field line, scoring Adam Och, Connor Huzicka, and Will Balgo. Luke Marsh followed with an RBI groundout before Ryan Talbert's RBI single made it 5-0. West Liberty continued to capitalize on Clarion's miscues, with a sacrifice fly by William Glick and a wild pitch allowing another run to cross. Hill then struck again with a two-run double, and Marsh capped off the inning with a two-run home run to center field, pushing the lead to 12-0.
Clarion (5-7) responded in the bottom half of the second with a two-run double from Griffin Snyder, but that would be all they could muster against West Liberty's pitching staff.
Balgo extended the lead with a solo home run in the third, and the Hilltoppers added three more runs in the sixth and seventh innings, including an RBI single from Jacob Sherman and an RBI hit-by-pitch for Kameron Jackson.
West Liberty racked up 14 hits, led by Hill's monster performance, going 3-for-3 with five RBIs. Balgo added a home run and two RBIs, while Marsh homered and drove in three.
On the mound, Chase Lautner (3.0 IP, 2 ER) got the start, while Jacob Watson (3.0 IP, 4 K) earned the win in relief. Brady Harmon pitched a perfect seventh to seal the win.
The Hilltoppers' offense combined for 30 runs across both games, highlighting their firepower as they continue their strong start to the season.
The Toppers return to action Thursday in a doubleheader at Bluefield.
