BECKLEY, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan baseball team swept Bluefield State on the road on Saturday in two nine-inning games. The Bobcats won the first game 10-2 and took the second game 15-3, totaling 36 hits between the two wins.
Game 1
Sam Ingram started the game off with a double to right and Jack Tilton singled in the infield, setting up the three-hole hitter Devin Johnson up with two runners on. Johnson was able to plate Ingram on a sacrifice fly to right. Julio Aguilar singled up the gut to put Tilton at third for Thatcher Poteat. He hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Tilton giving the Bobcats an early 2-0 lead.
Wesleyan scored another three runs in the top of the second with two of them coming off an error and an RBI single from Johnson. The lead was extended in the top of the fifth on back-to-back RBI singles from Chris Hulmes and Eddie Rueda to make it 7-0. In the top of the sixth, Johnson had his third RBI of the game with another single, bringing in Tilton.
Bluefield State scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI triple. The Bobcats answered in the top of the eighth with a sacrifice fly from Poteat. BSU scored again in the bottom half of the eighth and Wesleyan plated their 10th run of the game with another sacrifice fly, this time from Ian Donohoe. Hunter Eplin finished his complete game with a strikeout and a pair of popups to secure the 10-2 win.
Korbin Bostic and Cole Cote both picked up an RBI for the Big Blue. Cote and Brantley Durham also had two hits to lead BSU. Zach Powell took the loss after five innings of work, giving up seven runs (two earned) on nine hits and walking two with five strikeouts.
The Bobcats were led by Johnson’s 2-3 and three RBI performance. Poteat and Tilton also added two RBIs each. Eplin pitched a complete game, giving up two runs (both earned) off of eight hits and no walks. Eplin also struck out five.
Game 2
Wesleyan plated a run in the top of the first once with an RBI single from Poteat. BSU tied it up at one in the bottom of the third on an RBI single up the gut. Johnson gave the Bobcats the lead back in the top of the fifth, knocking a single to center to score Ingram. The Wesleyan offense erupted in the top of the sixth, recording six runs on eight hits.
Eddie Rueda started it off with a single, bringing home Dharyl Moon. Ingram, Tilton, Johnson and Poteat all recorded RBI singles with Johnson bringing two in. Julio Aguilar brought two home in the top of the seventh on a single to make it 10-1.
The game would be opened up even more in the top of the eighth with the Bobcats scoring five more runs. Ingram and Tilton went back-to-back with RBI singles and Donohoe scored on catcher’s interference. Poteat and Moon scored the final runs for WVWC, extending the lead to 15-1. The Big Blue scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to end the scoring for both teams as the Bobcats left with a 15-3 win.
Three different Big Blue batters record an RBI and Tahir Meulens went 2-3 at the plate for BSU. Six different pitchers came in for Bluefield State with Braden Major picking up the loss. Major went four innings and gave up two runs (both earned) on six hits and striking out four.
Poteaet and Johnson both had three RBI and three hits to lead the Bobcats. Ingram, Tilton andAguilar put up two RBIs apiece as well. Eli Brogan finished with a stat line of 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB and 7 K to pick up his first win of the season.
Up Next For The Bobcats
Sunday’s single-game with BSU was canceled and won’t be made up. The Bobcats begin conference play this Saturday at home with Alderson Broaddus (DH) and Sunday against Notre Dame College (DH).
