Weirton, W.Va. - Behind a strong performance on the mound and a steady offensive attack, West Liberty opened its doubleheader with Frostburg State in commanding fashion, securing an 8–1 victory in Game One played Monday afternoon at Weir High School.
The Hilltoppers got on the board early and never looked back, against the north division leading Bobcats. Will Balgo scored the game's first run on a sacrifice fly by Kobe Hill in the second inning. West Liberty then tacked on two more runs in the third thanks to a pair of unearned runs. Ryan Talbert drove in one with a sac fly, and William Glick followed with an RBI single to make it 3–0.
Frostburg State briefly answered in the top of the fourth with a sacrifice fly, but that would be the only offense the Bobcats could muster.
West Liberty quickly widened the gap in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double down the line by Adam Och, and then exploded for four more runs in the sixth inning. The inning was highlighted by Balgo's two-run homer to left-center, his first of the season. Earlier in the frame, Luke Foley scored on a passed ball, and Talbert picked up his second sac fly RBI of the game.
Balgo finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Connor Huzicka and Och each added two hits. Talbert contributed a pair of RBIs on sacrifice flies.
On the mound, Ethan Conley earned the win (2–0), allowing just one hit and one earned run over five strong innings. Brady Harmon closed the door with two shutout innings, picking up his first save of the season.
The Hilltoppers racked up 11 hits in the contest and took advantage of two Frostburg errors to score four unearned runs.
Game 2
Following their strong showing in Game One, the West Liberty came up short in game two of Monday's doubleheader, falling 13–3 to Frostburg State despite three home runs from the Hilltopper offense.
West Liberty struck first as Jacob Sherman launched a solo homer to right-center in the bottom of the first, giving the Hilltoppers an early 1–0 lead. After Frostburg State tied things up in the fourth, Adam Och responded quickly for WLU with a solo shot of his own, putting the Black and Gold back on top, 2–1.
The momentum, however, began to shift in the fifth. Frostburg's Ryan Bouma delivered a crushing blow with a grand slam to center field, turning a one-run Hilltopper lead into a 5–2 deficit. Ryan Talbert answered in the bottom half with a solo home run to left, his second RBI of the day across the twinbill, keeping West Liberty within striking distance at 5–3.
But the game unraveled in the sixth inning, as defensive miscues opened the door for Frostburg to break things wide open. A pair of throwing errors and a bases-loaded walk led to five unearned runs. The inning was capped off by a second grand slam of the game, this one off the bat of Cam Holler, as Frostburg pulled away for good.
Offensively, West Liberty managed just five hits, though three of them left the park. Sherman, Och, and Talbert each went deep, but the Hilltoppers couldn't string together hits with runners on base. Adam Och also homered in both games of the doubleheader, continuing his strong stretch at the plate.
Starter Kristopher Skeen (3–3) was tagged with the loss.
The two teams will meet again on Tuesday for another doubleheader also at Weir High School at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
