Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The University of Charleston baseball team split a West Virginia Conference doubleheader against Alderson-Broaddus on Wednesday afternoon. The Golden Eagles held on late for a 5-4 win in game one, but dropped the nightcap 4-2 giving up three sixth inning runs.
The Battlers (2-9) started the scoring off UC starter Mike Morency(Parkland, Fla./Coral Springs Christian) in game one as Michael Hackett notched an RBI double down the right field line in the top of the third inning for a quick 1-0 lead. Charleston didn’t take long to respond as freshman Tim Rein (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Logan) led the bottom of the third off with a sharply hit single to right field. Junior Ryan Hathaway (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown) followed two batters later reaching on a walk before advancing to second base on a failed double-play attempt, which also allowed Ross Easterling (Logan, W.Va./Logan) to reach base.
Junior Nick Barnes (Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) handed control of the game over to UC with a bases-loaded double into the left field gap to score two runs with Easterling scoring later on a passed ball. Leading hitter Igor Molina (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs) capped the scoring for the inning to secure a 4-1 advantage as his ground ball to short was enough to plate Barnes.
A-B tacked on a run off Morency in the fifth inning, before also plating a single run against reliever Alex Oldham (Mohnton, Pa./Twin Valley) to get within 4-3. The winning run for the University of Charleston would come on an RBI single to right field off the bat of Mike Hooper (Brunswick, Md./Brunswick) in the bottom of the sixth making the score 5-3. Golden Eagle’s closer Christian Turnipseed (Powder Springs, Ga./Harrison) would come on for the final 1.2 innings and secure his third save of the season despite allowing a run to score and loading the bases in the seventh.
Morency improved to 2-0 on the season with the win as he allowed two runs on three hits in 5.0 innings of work.
The second game saw UC starter Travis Zimmerman (Chesapeake, Ohio/Chesapeake) battle against a slew of Alderson-Broaddus pitchers to take a 1-1 ballgame into the bottom of the fifth inning.
Charleston finally broke through the A-B bullpen as Barnes again provided clutch offense with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning handing the Golden Eagles a narrow 2-1 lead. The Battlers did not allow the deficit to stand long as they exploded for three runs in the sixth off reliever Matt Thompson (Ashland, Ky./Fairview) to set the final margin a 4-2.
Barnes led Charleston on the day with a 3-for-6 performance at the plate, while booking three RBIs and a run scored.
UC gets back on the diamond against WVIAC opponent Ohio Valley in a 1:00 pm doubleheader on Friday, March 18.
