Mountain Cats Season Ends With 3-2 Loss to WV State

05/08/2010

West Virginia State used three solo homeruns, including one by Billy Smith in the eighth inning to break a tie game and lift the Yellow Jackets to a 3-2 victory over the Mountain Cats, in Saturday night's elimination game of the 2010 WVIAC Tournamment at the Point Stadium. Pitt-Johnstown season ends with a 30-18 overall record.
     After a scoreless first three innings, the Mountain Cats broke the ice on Matt Staub's (Latrobe, Pa.) solo homerun over the left field screen to lead off the top of the fourth, but West Virginia State responded with Robert Hawkins' blast to left to lead off the bottom of the inning.
    The Yellow Jackets went up 2-1 on Joey Jobst's fifth inning lead-off homer.
     Pitt-Johnstown loaded the bases with one out in both the sixth and seventh innings, but Henry was able to work out of both jams to hold the 2-1 lead.
     Pitt-Johnstown finally evened the score in the top of the eighth.  Matt Whiteman's (North Huntingdon, Pa.) single through the left side off of Yellow Jackets' reliever Jordan Butcher scored Drew Westover (Flinton, Pa.), who reached on a single, to knot it at two.
     However, West Virginia State's Smith connected on yet another solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to put the Yellow Jackets up 3-2.
     The Mountain Cats had a chance in the ninth. Andy Rubal (Johnstown, Pa.) reached third base after being hit by a pitch with one out, but Pitt-Johnstown, which stranded 12 base runners, could not get him home.
     Butcher got the win in relief and Evan Kendall worked out of the jam in the ninth to earn the save and send the Yellow Jackets to Sunday's title game against Seton Hill University.
     Westover and Staub each had two hits for the Mountain Cats, while Whiteman and Staub accounted for Pitt-Johnstown's RBIs.
     Jon Moore (Leechburg, Pa.) was the tough luck loser and fell to 2-3. Moore surrendered three runs on six games in eight innings of work.
     With the Victory, West Virginia State improved to 31-13.

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