WHEELING, W.Va. (April 27) – The Wheeling Jesuit University baseball team was defeated in both of its games against Urbana in a Mountain East Conference (MEC) doubleheader at the JB Chambers Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals fall to 9-31 overall, 6-18 in the MEC with the pair of losses. The Blue Knights climb to 6-20 in league play, 12-29 on the season with the pair of wins.
GAME ONE: Urbana 4, Wheeling Jesuit 0
Junior starting pitcher Josh Bell (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) had a solid outing on the mound in the opening game of the series, but couldn't get the run support he needed to pick up his first win of the season.
Bell threw 30 pitches in the top half of the first inning due to a costly fielding error in the outfield that allowed a run to score and forced him to face three additional batters.
Bell's first earned run came in the top of the third after a RBI-double to center field put Urbana up 2-0.
Wheeling Jesuit had its best opportunity to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded and two outs. The opposing pitcher had other ideas and was able to dial up a strikeout to end the inning unscathed.
Bell continued to keep the Cardinals in the game until the top of the seventh. Having thrown 111 pitches, he gave up two more runs off a double to left field.
In 6.2 innings of work, Bell allowed three earned runs and recorded six strikeouts.
Cole Weaver of the Blue Knights pitched a complete game in which he gave up four hits and rang up four batters.
GAME TWO: Urbana 12, Wheeling Jesuit 1
Wheeling Jesuit played Urbana close in the second game of the series, but were undone by a five-run sixth inning from the Blue Knights.
The Cardinals scored first in the bottom of the second when freshman catcher Colin Caven (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) put the ball in play with the bases loaded to score the runner from third.
Urbana was able to get on the scoreboard for the first time in the top of the fourth with a RBI-single into center field. The Blue Knights then went up 3-1 with a two-run homerun that cleared the left field fence.
A five-run sixth inning and four-run seventh inning put the game out of reach for Wheeling Jesuit.
Freshman first baseman Lucas Rawlins (Pickerington, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) had an impressive performance at the plate going a perfect three-for-three.
Urbana's Jackson Everman pitched a complete game in which he allowed five hits and tallied five strikeouts.
The Cardinals will be honoring their senior student-athletes when they take on Urbana once again in a doubleheader at the JB Chambers Complex tomorrow. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m.
