CHARLESTON, W.Va. – University of Charleston swept Sunday's doubleheader with West Virginia State University to earn their first appearance in the Mountain East Conference Baseball Tournament Championship, defeating the Yellow Jackets 5-0 and 7-1 at Triana Field.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORES Game 1 University of Charleston 5, W.Va. State University 0
Game 2 University of Charleston 7, W.Va. State University 1
LOCATION Charleston, W.Va. (Triana Field)
RECORDS Charleston (29-19, 17-13 MEC); WVSU (20-25, 13-17 MEC)
Needing to win two of four games in the 4-game series against the Yellow Jackets to secure a spot in their first MEC postseason tournament, the Golden Eagles used stellar pitching performances from juniors Adam Jafine and Kaleb Kinder to sweep their Kanawha Valley rival from Institute. Both Jafine and Kinder pitched complete game wins, Jafine's a 3-hit, 7-inning shutout in the opener and Kinder's a 9-inning, 1-run victory to clinch the MEC berth.
The Golden Eagles used timely hitting to go along with taking advantage of Yellow Jacket miscues in taking both ends of Sunday's twin bill. There were times where Charleston flashed the leather on defense to keep WVSU from putting together a big inning. Gianfranco Morello robbed WVSU's Matthew Washington of a homerun, Colby Johnson snagged a ball sailing over his head in deep center that would have drove in a pair, and Brice Arrington made a sliding catch in right field that also saved a run or two.
At the dish Charleston got a solid day from the ever reliable Lee Carneal, going 4-for-7 and scoring three runs on the afternoon. Taylor Itnyre also turned in a quality day, also going 4-for-7 with three RBI's and a pair of runs scored.
The 29-win season ties the all-time program record for wins in a single season with Charleston looking to eclipse the 30-win total tomorrow at WVSU and become the first team to reach that milestone.
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles wrap up the regular season on Monday in Institute, completing the 4-game series with the Yellow Jackets. The Golden Eagles still have an opportunity to win the MEC South Division should they sweep Monday's doubleheader. First pitch on the WVSU campus is set for 1:00 p.m.
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