Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Baseball is a game of rhythm and no team in the West Virginia Conference is in a better one than the University of Charleston.
Junior relief pitcher Frankie Mullens earned his first save of the season, firing 11/3 scoreless innings as the Golden Eagles defeated Bluefield State 4-1 Saturday in the nightcap to secure a doubleheader sweep and earn their seventh straight win. A crowd of about 100 attended the league matchup at Appalachian Power Park.
In the opener, junior pitcher Tim Ponn tossed a two-hit shutout as UC downed the Big Blues 2-0. Senior pitcher Anthony Pagano (1-6) earned his first win of the year for the Golden Eagles in the second game, giving up one unearned run on three hits in 52/3 innings.
UC (14-24 overall, 10-13 WVC) jumped into the conference tournament race with two weeks left in the regular season, trailing fourth-place Concord by 10 points (92.17-82.17) in the power rankings. The top four teams from the Northern and Southern divisions advance to the double-elimination tourney, scheduled for May 12-15 at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley.
"We're hitting the ball well, executing routine plays and just getting the job done,'' said Mullens, a former South Charleston High School standout who had a 1-0 record with a 0.77 earned run average in 112/3 innings entering Saturday's play.
"I think we're just buying into what coach has been telling us. We just weren't executing. We were making errors at bad times and not getting the key hits. Now we're doing all those things they've wanted us to do. In big spots everybody's coming up big.''
Prior to the winning streak, UC had lost 14 games by two runs or less.
"They're playing with some confidence and that's always a big plus for you,'' said UC veteran coach Tom Nozica, whose team plays host to Fairmont State in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Tuesday. "We need to keep winning.''
"We turned it on at the right time and now we've got a chance,'' added Mullens.
Ponn (4-4) pitched his second straight shutout Saturday, striking out four, and didn't walk a batter in the complete-game effort. The Golden Eagles scored both of their runs on two errors in the bottom of the third and that was all Ponn needed. UC junior Ryan Hathaway, the No. 9 batter in the order, went 2-for-3.
UC took the lead for good in the second game with two runs in the bottom of the third on sophomore Ross Easterling's run-scoring single and junior Andy Stichter's sacrifice fly to left.
Pagano only surrendered one run after Bluefield State (8-22, 6-12) loaded the bases with none out in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Sage Iacovone, who finished 3-for-3, had an RBI single to center field and sophomore John Schraer drove in another run with an infield single as UC extended its advantage to 4-1 in the bottom half.
Mullens relieved Pagano in the top of the sixth with two outs and runners on first and second and ended the threat by striking out Bluefield State's Nathan Batman looking. Mullens allowed just one hit and fanned one with no walks in his 10th appearance.
"Things worked out pretty good,'' Nozica said. "We got some excellent pitching. We took advantage of some stuff they gave us in the first game and timely hitting in the second game. The last week and a half, can't complain. Again, it's been timely hitting. Now, [the hits are] starting to come.''
Bluefield State freshman starter Cody Pruett allowed two unearned runs on five hits in six innings in the opener and Nate Ramsey doubled. In the second game, Rico Garcia knocked in a run for the Big Blues.
