BUTLER, Pa. – The West Virginia Wesleyan baseball team opened the new season up at Penn State Greater Allegheny this weekend (Feb. 25-26) in a three-game series, winning the opening game of the season on Saturday and dropping the next two. The Bobcats won 9-2 in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader but dropped game two 6-1. PSUGA won the rubber match of the series today 13-3.
Game 1
The Bobcats got on the board first in the top of the first but wouldn’t hold the lead long as the Nittany Lions countered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second. It was a pitchers duel through the next three innings of play. In the top of the sixth, the Bobcats retook the lead by plating three runs to make it 5-2.
PSUGA didn’t have an answer in the bottom half of the inning and Wesleyan took advantage of that, scoring five more runs in the top of the seventh to blow the game wide open. Austin Mann came in to finish the game for the Bobcats to secure their first win of the season.
Giovanni Scott took the loss for PSUGA in pitching 6 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs off of six hits. Sean Harasin and Tommy McGee both gave up two earned runs in relief.
Eli Brogan started the game and went three innings with two hits, two earned runs, two strikeouts and one walk. AJ Ventry picked up the win in relief, pitching three innings with only one hit, no runs, two strikeouts and two walks. Mann closed the door with one strikeout in one inning pitched.
Thatcher Poteat went 3-4 with 3 RBIs, Eddie Reuda also went 3-4 and had 2 RBIs and Jack Tilton went 2-4 as well. Tilton, Devin Johnson and Ian Donohoe plated an RBI in the win.
Game 2
Penn State Greater Allegheny scored five runs in the bottom of the second to build an early, comfortable lead. They would score another run in the bottom of the fifth and Wesleyan wouldn’t score until the top of the seventh off of a Sam Ingram sacrifice fly.
Kaleb Edwards went the distance, pitching seven innings with only one earned run off of three hits and striking out eight.
Ingram plated Wesleyan’s lone RBI on the day and went 1-3 at the dish. Preston Todd, Matthew Neach and Tilton all picked up one hit each.
Drew Evans got the loss after going three innings and giving up four earned runs off of three hits and striking out two. Broderick Rohrbaugh pitched three innings of relief, giving up one earned run.
Game 3
The Nittany Lions got the first runner across the plate in the bottom of the second to go up 1-0. Wesleyan came back in the top of the 3rd to tie it up at 1. The tie didn’t last long as PSUGA scored two more in the fourth and then busted the game open with six runs in the bottom of the fifth
The Bobcats cut the deficit to 9-3 when they got two across the plate in the top of the 6th. PSUGA put it out of reach, scoring four in the bottom of the seventh. Wesleyan plated one more run in the top of the eighth and Penn State Greater Allegheny’s Lane Book closed the door in the ninth to secure the win for the Nittany Lions.
Randy Limon picked up the win for PSUGA, going five innings with four hits, one earned run, two walks and six strikeouts. Duston Strom led the offense with a triple and 3 RBI.
Hunter Eplin was given the loss after going 3.2 IP and giving up three earned runs off of five hits and striking out four. Preston Todd plated 2 RBIs with a double for the Bobcats.
Up Next For The Bobcats
Wesleyan travels to Florida next Saturday to begin the RussMatt Baseball Invitational.
