INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan baseball team lost the last two games of their four-game series with West Virginia State Saturday, falling 13-4 in the first game of the day and 7-2 in the final game of the series. The Bobcats put together 15 hits between the two games.
Game 1
The Yellow Jackets put up two runs in the bottom of the first with a one-run double on the second batter of the game and an error by the Wesleyan outfield. The Bobcats plated three runs in the top of the second as Julio Aguilar kicked the inning off being hit by a pitch and Thatcher Poteat singled down the left field line. After that, Cole Shearer brought the first run of the inning in on a double down the right field line and was followed up with one-run singles by Jake Ascari and Alex Rodriguez.
WVSU regained the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring six runs on four hits and an error by the Bobcat defense. A three-run home run made it 5-3 and another three-run extended the Yellow Jacket lead to five. In the bottom of the fourth, West Virginia State put two more across the plate with a two-run single up the gut. Devin Johnson cut into the lead with a solo home run to dead center to lead the fifth inning off. WVSU scored the final runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth on an error by WVWC, sacrifice fly and a one-run single to left. Wesleyan went down in order in the top of the 7th to end the game.
Michael Stone and Nathan Paulsen each knocked in three runs and Stone was one of four Yellow Jackets with two hits. Colin Bryant was the winning pitcher, going six innings and giving up four runs (all earned) on nine hits and walking one while striking out five.
Rodriguez, Shearer, Ascari and Johnson all recorded a RBI and Shearer went 2-2 at the plate. AJ Ventry took the loss after 3 2/3 innings of work, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and walking two. Ethan Boisvert and Eli Brogan pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Game 2
Shearer got the scoring started in the top of the second, blasting a solo home run over the left-center wall. The power in Shearer’s bat didn’t go away in the top of the fourth as he hit his second home run of the day to make it 2-0 WVWC. The Yellow Jackets plated four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead. Back-to-back one-run singles tied the game and a two-run double to left scored the other two runs in the inning.
With the Bobcats not being able to muster much of any offense in the later innings, WVSU scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on a one-run double and a solo home run to left. Another homer in the bottom of the sixth extended the Yellow Jacket to 7-2. WVWC grounded out three consecutive times in the top of the seventh as WVSU completed the four-game sweep.
Michael Stone led the West Virginia State offense knocking in two runs as five other Yellow Jackets plated a RBI. Nick Loftis pitched 5 2/3 innings to secure the win, giving up two runs (both earned) on six hits and four walks.
Shearer went 3-3 at the plate. Rodriguez also added two hits for the Bobcats. Hunter Eplin took the loss, going five innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and walking three with seven strikeouts.
Up Next For The Bobcats
Wesleyan starts a home-and-home midweek matchup with Salem on the road on Tuesday, followed by the home matchup on Wednesday with both games starting at 3 p.m.
