West Liberty (WV) took Sunday's opener, 7-4, then battled back from a 5-1 deficit in the nightcap to complete the sweep with a 6-5 win and split the four-game non-conference series with Pitt-Johnstown, Sunday afternoon at Sargent's Stadium at the Point. Pitt-Johnstown is now 2-2.
In game one, West Liberty jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and went on to the 7-4 victory.
Brian Campbell's two-run triple, followed by a Sam Leach RBI single gave West Liberty a quick 3-0 first inning lead, but
Dylan Broderick's triple to right chased home
Mario Disso from second to cut it to 3-1 in the Mountain Cat half of the first.
Josh Reynolds' run scoring triple and
Colin Pasone's sacrifice fly knotted it at three after two innings, before Pitt-Johnstown took the lead when Reynolds was hit by a pitch with a bases loaded in the third.
A run in the top of the fourth tied it at four and two more in the fifth on a bases loaded walk and a wild pitch put West Liberty in front 6-4.
The Hilltoppers added one more in the top of the seventh.
Broderick went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI, and Reynolds had two hits, including a triple, and two RBI to lead the Mountain Cats.
Freshman
Jared Hoener took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in 1.2 inning in relief of starter
Ben Briggs. Briggs surrendered four runs on seven hits over the first four innings.
West Liberty's Ian Brady earned the win in relief for the Hilltoppers. Brady held Pitt-Johnstown scoreless on one hit over the final four innings.
In game two, West Liberty fell behind 5-1 after three innings, then battled back and scored two runs in the top of the seventh to secure the 6-5 victory.
Campbell's single to center in the top of the third scored Chad Matthus from second to give West Liberty a 1-0 advantage.
Tyler Smith's three-run double highlighted a five-fun Pitt-Johnstown bottom half of the third, but the Hilltoppers answered with three in the top of the fifth to narrow it to 5-4.
West Liberty then rallied for two more in the top of the seventh to take the lead, and Gaten Sinisgalli was able to induce a game-ending double play in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.
Wil Fetrow went 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Smith doubled and drove in three for the Mountain Cats.
Jake Ansell suffered the loss and slipped to 0-1 after allowing the two runs in the top of the seventh.
Brady Walker started and held the Hilltoppers scoreless and didn't allow a hit in two innings.
With the split, West Liberty is now 2-5.
The Mountain Cats will host a non-conference doubleheader against Fairmont State (WV) University on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Sargent's Stadium at the Point, before finishing the four-game series against the Cardinals in Fairmont, W.Va. on Sunday.
