Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The University of Charleston baseball team defeated Lake Erie College 7-6 in the first game of an evening doubleheader, Friday at Appalachian Power Park. The Storm rebounded to force a split as they took the nightcap 11-4.
LEC took control on the first game with a 2-0 advantage in the second inning as they used small ball to force runs across the plate. The Golden Eagles responded in its half of the second inning as Mike Dahl (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee Senior) and Ross Easterling (Logan, W.Va./Logan) each drove in an RBI to tie the game at two runs apiece.
Three-straight singles to open the third inning handed UC a 3-2 lead, which would be short lived as the Storm used timely hitting in the fourth to again knot the game. Senior Jim Clarke (Cranston, RI./Cranston West) took it upon himself for a run in the fifth as he hammered a ball out of the park in the deepest part of the stadium against a brisk wind.
Each team plated two runs in the sixth inning to set up a dramatic seventh inning for a Golden Eagles team that has become accustomed to tight game. Charleston has had 15 of its 28 games decided by one run this season. UC reliever Anthony Pagano (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs Christian) allowed a lead-off hit in the top of the seventh as Lake Erie looked to rally trailing by one. Pagano quickly rebounded himself to record back-to-back outs to setup a matchup with the LEC leadoff hitter, while the tying run stood 90 feet away. Pagano forced a weakly hit groundball that forced Golden Eagle first basemen away from the bag and while covering first base Pagano bobbled the toss that would have secured the 6-5 win, allowing the tying run to cross the plate.
The bottom of the lineup for Charleston struck in the bottom of the seventh as Dahl and Ryan Hathaway (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown) each recorded one-out singles. After an intentional walk to leading hitter Easterling; Barnes stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. Barnes came up big not with a hit, but with hustle as he legged out a groundball to keep from allowing a doubleplay, which allowed the winning run to cross the plate and secure the 7-6 win.
The second contest went the way of Lake Erie as they tagged Golden Eagle starter Wes Sherrill (Charlottesville, Va./Fork Union) for five runs in 1.2 innings on the mound. The UC offense could not find a groove against LEC started Tyler Minnich as he went 5.2 innings allowing four runs, but only two were earned.
Andrew Armstrong (Washington, Pa./Trinity) led the Golden Eagles in the second contest with a 2-for-2 performance, while also being hit by a pitch twice.
The teams return to action for a nine-inning contest beginning at 1:00 pm at Power Park on Saturday, April 10.
