Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The University of Charleston baseball team used back-to-back one-run victories to sweep the first of a two-day series against WVIAC opponent Ohio Valley, Friday afternoon. UC held on for a 6-5 victory in game one and came on strong in the final innings of game two to take a 5-4 win.
The first contest began with a bang for the Golden Eagles (8-12) as Nick Barnes (Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) handed UC a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a homerun to left-center. The Fighting Scots capitalized on four early errors by Charleston to retake the lead with three runs in the second inning and a single run in the third for a 4-2 advantage.
Senior Mike Dahl (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee Senior) delivered for UC in the fourth inning with a two-run double to rightcenter, which knotted the game at four runs apiece. Sophomore Ryan Hathaway (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown) followed with a single through the left-side, sending Dahl to third. UC added two additional runs in the inning as Dahl scored on an OVU error, while Barnes came thru with a two-out RBI single to secure a 6-4 lead for the home team.
Ohio Valley tacked on its only earned run of the contest in the sixth inning to cut their deficit to just 6-5, yet the Golden Eagles brought on junior Matt Maus (Hamilton, Ohio/Stephen T. Badin) to close the door on the Fighting Scots comeback and earn his second save of the season.
In the second contest, pitching dominated as the teams took a 1-1 tie into the fifth inning before the bats came alive. OVU began the scoring in the sixth with three-straight RBI atbats to pull away to a 4-1 lead. The Golden Eagles responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning capped by a two-out; two-RBI double by leading hitter Ross Easterling (Logan, W.Va./Logan) to again tie the game with the score at 4-4.
UC reliever Anthony Pagano (Plantation, Fla./Coral Springs Christian) denied any Fighting Scot comeback by striking out two-of-three batters faced in the top of the seventh. The Golden Eagles began their half of the seventh with junior Andrew Armstrong (Washington, Pa./Trinity) being hit by a pitch. Sophomore Andy Stichter (Inglis, Fla./Dunnellon) followed with a sacrifice-bunt down the third base line to put Armstrong in scoring position with just one out. Freshman Igor Molina (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs) delivered the decisive blow with an RBI single thru the right side to secure the 5-4 win.
The teams face-off against on Saturday, April 3 at Triana Field for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 pm.
