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Shepherd 9, West Liberty 6 | Final Stats
West Liberty led early, but Shepherd stormed back to come away with a 9-6 win over West Liberty and eliminated the Hilltoppers in the firs game on Saturday at the MEC Tournament.
The Hilltoppers came out firing early in the contest; scoring one run in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Michael Adams. West Liberty tacked on two runs in the second behind Alex Rojas’ RBI double to left and Justice Jackson’s single to right.
Holding a 3-0 lead, the Hilltoppers added two runs in the third after an error by the Rams. JJ Sarty gave Shepherd a run in the fourth with an RBI double and an additional run in the sixth thanks to a solo home run.
West Liberty plated one run in the sixth, but a five-run seventh for Shepherd shifted the momentum in favor of the Rams. Brandon Kirk laced an RBI single down the right field line, Jacob Carney scored two runners with a single through the left side, and Brenton Doyle hit a two-run home run to give Shepherd a 7-6 advantage.
Daniel Heleine’s two-run homer in the eighth gave Shepherd all they would need to secure the win. The Rams totaled nine hits in the victory with Doyle, Sarty, and Heleine all notching two hits for Shepherd. Ryan Potts picked up the win on the mound. He entered the game in-relief and allowed just one run (earned) off of five hits in four innings of work. Brandon Hovel notched the save for the Rams.
Parker Dyson took the loss on the mound for West Liberty after allowing seven runs (five earned) off of seven hits. West Liberty pounded out 16 hits in the loss led by Chad Matthus and Nolan Marcus with three hits apiece. After falling to Shepherd, West Liberty was eliminated from the MEC Tournament.
West Virginia Wesleyan 12, Fairmont State 7 | Final Stats
West Virginia Wesleyan fell behind early but rallied for a 12-7 win over Fairmont State in the second game on Saturday at the MEC Tournament.
The Fighting Falcons scored three runs in their first at-bat behind Troy Kifer’s RBI single, Johnny Kesling’s groundout, and Jacob Whitmore’s base hit up the middle. The Bobcats responded with a run in the top of the third after Austin Keene’s single to right, but a three-run third by the Falcons left West Virginia Wesleyan trailing 6-1.
Down but not out, the Bobcats rallied to plate seven runs in the fourth, resulting in an 8-6 edge. Fairmont added a run in the fifth using Whitemore’s RBI single. The Bobcats took advantage of a wild pitch and three-run double by Wyatt Adkins in the ninth to secure the 12-7 win.
Jake Bishop was credited with the win on the mound for West Virginia Wesleyan. Greg Smith tallied three hits in the win with Ryan Kiser, Eric Forbrick, and Adkins each notching two hits.
Whitmore led the effort for the Falcons with three hits in the loss. Ben Myers, Kifer, and Kesling all added two hits in the setback.
Tyler Holt took the loss after allowing seven runs (seven earned) on seven hits in three innings of work.
Shepherd 11, West Virginia Wesleyan 5 | Final Stats
Shepherd's offense kept rolling in an 11-5 win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at the MEC Tournament.
Shepherd opened the contest with three runs in their first at-bat after an RBI single by Ron Farley and two-run double by Heleine. West Virginia Wesleyan answered with one run in the second and plated two more in the fifth after a Shepherd fielding error and sacrifice fly by Smith.
Dalton Haymaker’s RBI double, Carney’s groundout, and Doyle’s sacrifice fly in the sixth left the Bobcats tailing 6-3. The Rams took advantage of a five-run seventh, resulting in a commanding 11-3 lead. West Virginia Wesleyan rallied for one run in the eighth and one in the ninth, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.
With the win, Shepherd advanced to the MEC Championship game, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Griffin Roe was credited with the loss after allowing five rounds (four earned) on five hits in five innings of work. Ryan Pansch picked up the win. He surrendered three runs (two earned) off of four hits while striking out 11 over the course of seven innings.
Charleston 7, Fairmont State 3 | Final Stats
Charleston eliminated Fairmont State, 7-3, in the final game of action on Saturday at the MEC Tournament.
Charleston struck first in the nightcap. The Golden Eagles used Nick Wilson’s RBI single, Taylor Intyre’s fielder’s choice, and an RBI from Ethan Hunt to take a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
Fairmont State responded with two runs in the third after Myers hit an RBI double and Austin Norman laced an RBI single up the middle.
The Golden Eagles tacked on a run in the fourth behind Hunt’s double. A double by Gianfranco Morello in the fifth gave Charleston an additional run and Nick Wilson’s solo shot in the sixth pushed Charleston ahead 6-2.
Austin Norman drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the seventh to give the Falcons an additional run, but Davis belted a solo shot to right in the eighth to leave Fairmont State trailing 7-3. Levi Nash entered the game in-relief for the Golden Eagles, and shut the Falcons down offensively for the remainder of the contest while earning the save.
Austin Henrich picked up the win. He allowed just three runs (one earned) on five hits in 6.2 innings of work.
Matt Maiers took the loss for Fairmont State. He surrendered six runs (five earned) on nine hits over the course of five innings. With the loss, Fairmont State was eliminated from the MEC Tournament.
Charleston will take on West Virginia Wesleyan on Sunday at 10 a.m. in elimination play.