Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Baseball team (5-12, 1-1) played their Home Opener on Sunday as they hosted Mountain East Conference (MEC) for Concord on Sunday. They busted out the bats in game one in a 16-1 win, before falling 7-5 in extra innings in game two to earn a split of the day.

Game One: Wheeling 16, Concord 1

Game one of Sunday's doubleheader saw wheeling bring the wood throughout the afternoon scoring at least one run in each of the seven innings. Couple that with a strong start from Dominic Parker-McDonald and the Cardinals secured their first conference win of the 2022 season. After a strong six-inning outing in his previous appearance, Parker-McDonald got the call and allowed just one run over his seven innings of work. He spread out six hits on the afternoon while walking two and striking out one while needing just under 100 pitches.

It helped that he was working with the lead for most of the game as his team got on the board right away in the bottom of the first. Vandiver drew a one-out walk before a fielder's choice threatened to end the first with a runner on first and two outs. However, a J.R. Heavilin single moved runners to second and third and Jacob Murray lined an RBI single to left to make it a 1-0 Cardinal advantage. The was just the calm before the storm as Wheeling would take a one-run game and expand it to an 8-0 lead thanks to a seven-run bottom of the second inning.

Wheeling would load the bases to start the inning thanks to a walk and back-to-back infield singles that brought Jack Skantze to the plate. The Cardinals leadoff hitter would come through with a two-RBI double that made it 3-0 in favor of Wheeling. Vandiver would walk to reload the bases and Riley Cameron took another walk with the bases loaded to bring home the Cardinals' fourth run of the game. With the bases still loaded, J.R. Heavilin rolled a ground ball to short to bring home another run and Lucas Rawlins added an RBI single that made it a 7-0 game. The final run of the inning would come on a Connor Watt groundout and the Cardinals were firmly staked to an 8-0 lead.

Wheeling would take advantage of a Concord error to start the third after Vandiver was hit by a pitch as Cameron reached on the error, bringing home Skantze to make it 9-0. The Cardinals would load the bases again before Chris Iazzetta drew a bases-loaded walk to make it a 10-0 affair with the bases still loaded. Rawlins would end the inning with a two-RBI double and Wheeling led 12-0 after three innings. After Concord scored their only run of the game in the fourth, Riley Cameron would add an RBI double in the fourth and J.R. Heavilin had a sacrifice fly that made it a 14-1 game. Wheeling would add two more over the final two innings on a Skantze single and a Cameron home run that brought the game to its final 16-1 score.

Cameron led the offense going 2-4 with a home run, five runs scored, and three RBI in the effort while Jacob Murray added a 3-4 day with two RBI in the win. Jack Skantze was the other Wheeling hitter to drive in three in the game, going 2-4 in the effort with two runs scored. Eight of the nine Cardinals starters got at least one hit in the game as they played one of their most complete games of the season.

Game Two: Concord 7, Wheeling 5 – eight innings

Game two of Sunday's doubleheader came down to the wire as the two teams battled to extra innings. Entering the seventh inning, Wheeling trailed 5-4 and was looking for a way to push the tying run across. After a strikeout by Jack Skantze started the inning, Blake Vandiver got things going with a one-out single. Riley Cameron followed that up with a single and put runners at first and second with one out. That brought J.R. Heavilin to the plate and he rolled what looked to be a double-play ball to short. However, it was botched by the shortstop and Vandiver scored from second and tied the game at 5-5. However, that was all the Cardinals could muster as Concord added two in the eighth and Wheeling fell 7-5.

Early on, the two teams were jockeying for position as Concord scored in the top of the first and Wheeling responded with a run in the bottom of the first. Vandiver reached on a one-out single and advanced to second on a balk. He would then use his legs to bring home the first run of the game as a pair of wild pitches tied things at 1-1. The Mountain Lions would add another in the top of the second and Wheeling would have to go back to the bat racks in the bottom of the second.

After Chris Iazzetta was hit by a pitch with one our, he would advance to second on a balk to give Wheeling a runner in scoring position. Garth Charlton would step in, getting the game two start behind the plate, and took advantage with an RBI single to left-center field. Concord added three n the top of the fourth and put Wheeling behind 5-2 heading into the fifth.  The Cardinals made it a two-run game in that inning when Anthony May scored on a wild pitch to make it a 5-3 game. In the next inning, J.R. Heavilin stepped up and made it a one-run game with a solo home run that made it a 5-4 game and set up the late-game heroics.

Vandiver was the only Cardinal with a multi-hit performance in game two, going 2-3, and Heavilin drove in a run going 1-4 with the home run. Paul Tripi got the call on the mound in game two and allowed five runs in four innings of work. Hayden Scudder came in and threw 1.1 scoreless frames, and Jake Rife and Brendan Moran each gave up runs in their relief outings.

The Wheeling University Baseball team is back in action Monday when they battle Glenville State in doubleheader action. Game one will begin at 1 PM followed by game two at 3 PM.