NSTITUTE, W.Va. — It was a tale of two innings as West Virginia State stormed back from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh to stun West Virginia Wesleyan, 6-5, in a dramatic Mountain East Conference (MEC) showdown that began a Saturday doubleheader at Cal Bailey Field.
The contest opened with a pitcher’s tempo as both starters controlled the pace through the middle innings. West Virginia State struck first in the opening frame when Michael Bittinger doubled and later scored on a wild pitch by Wesleyan starter Alex Hernandez.
Wesleyan (6-19, 3-9 MEC) answered in the second with an RBI groundout by Alex Smith, tying the game at one. Both teams would strand runners in the subsequent innings as Hernandez and State’s JT Fabian traded scoreless frames.
State regained the lead in the fourth when Charlie McGuiness launched a solo shot to left field, giving the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 advantage.
In the sixth inning, the Bobcats exploded for four runs off three State pitchers—Baumgardner, McSweeney, and Morrison—highlighted by Smith’s two-run single and an RBI double by Josh Ayala. By the time the dust settled, the visitors held a commanding 5-2 lead.
Wesleyan brought on Eplin in the bottom of the seventh to close it out. Instead, the wheels came off. After five consecutive hits—including RBI singles from Kyle Waters and Brodie Guenther—State erased the deficit in a matter of minutes. With the game tied 5-5 and the bases loaded, catcher Tyler Overaitis lofted a sacrifice fly to center, plating Bittinger with the winning run and setting off a celebration at home plate.
After watching a late lead slip away in Game 1, Wesleyan responded in the second game, using a barrage of extra-base hits and a outstanding game from catcher Thatcher Poteat to outslug State, 11-8.
Wesleyan wasted no time getting to State starter Brian Lingenfelter. The first five Bobcats reached base, with Kohei Fujishita’s two-run double breaking the scoreless tie. RBI hits by Josh Ayala and Alex Smith capped a four-run first inning.
Lingenfelter, who entered the day undefeated, labored through 3.2 innings and was charged with eight runs on seven hits and four walks.
After the Yellow Jackets trimmed the deficit to 4-2 in the second on a Kyle Waters sac fly and an Aidan Paulsen RBI double, the Bobcats put up another four-spot in the fourth. Poteat cleared the bases with a booming triple to center, then scored on Fujishita’s RBI single to make it 8-2.
Poteat added a decisive two-run double in the seventh after State had clawed back to within two. He finished the game 2-for-4 with five RBIs, a triple, a double, and a walk.
Despite the loss, State had its own offensive star in senior shortstop Kyle Waters, who crushed two home runs—including a three-run blast in the sixth—and finished with five RBIs on a 2-for-3 day. Nathan Paulsen added a solo homer of his own in the seventh.
All nine Wesleyan starters reached base at least once. Fujishita went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk, while Luke Burner notched two hits, including an RBI double. Wesleyan totaled 11 hits, five of them for extra bases.
On the mound, Eplin was resilient. Though tagged for eight runs on nine hits, he scattered his trouble and struck out five over 121 pitches.
