Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling Baseball team (6-13, 2-2) completed their conference-opening weekend on Monday when they battled Glenville State. The offense combined to score 19 runs in the two games as they split with the Pioneers in their two games. The Cardinals took the first game 10-8 over the Pioneers before falling in game two 26-9 to move to 2-2 in Mountain Conference (MEC) play.

Game One: Wheeling 10, Glenville State 8

Early on in game one, this one looked like the offensive juggernaut that it would turn out to be as both teams got on the board in the first. Glenville State got things started with a pair of runs to begin the first inning, bringing the Cardinals to the bat racks down 2-0. However, with one out they were quick to answer as Blake Vandiver walked, Riley Cameron singled, and J.R. Heavilin drew a walk to load the bases. The first Cardinal run would be painful, but Jacob Murray took a hit by pitch that walked in a run and made it a 2-1 affair after one.

After giving up those two early runs, starter Logan Pillars would settle down with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to keep it a 2-1 game. His team would reward him in the bottom of the third with two outs in the inning. Vandiver remained on first after a leadoff single and would move to third on a single by Murray. Iazzetta would be hit by a pitch, and Vandiver came home to score on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2, bringing up Lucas Rawlins with two outs and two on. Rawlins would get his big day started with a two-RBI double that gave Wheeling their first lead of the day at 4-2. Anthony May would add an RBI single and after three, it would be Wheeling 5, Glenville State 2.

The Pioneers answered with a run in the top of the fourth, only to see the Cardinals put five more of their own on the board in the bottom of the inning. Vandiver reached base for the third time in the game with a leadoff triple and was quickly brought home on a Cameron RBI single to make it a 6-3 game. J.R. Heavilin followed him up with a single and two batters later Chris Iazzetta would drive them both in with a two-RBI single, and advanced to second on the throw, to make it 8-3. Rawlins would then step in again with two runners in scoring position and once again he would pick them up with a two-RBI single that made it a 10-3 affair.

As the game moved to the fifth, the Pioneers began making changes to their lineup, pinch-hitting for seven of the nine starters and things began to turn around. The score remained 10-3 until the top of the sixth inning when a three-run home run cut the Wheeling lead to four. Glenville got as close as 10-8 as two more runs scored before Wheeling called on reliever Hayden Scudder. Scudder walked the first batter he faced but retired four straight after that to pick up the save and secure Wheeling's 10-8 victory.

Rawlins led the way for the Cardinals going 2-4 with a season-best four RBI on the afternoon and was one of four Cardinals with multiple hits in the game. Iazzetta added two RBI of his own, going 1-3 on the afternoon. Anthony May, Riley Cameron, and Jacob Murray each added RBI in the win. Pillars got the start for Wheeling and pitched better than his line suggests, going 5.1 allowing six runs on five hits while walking seven and striking out three in the win. Scudder finished the final 1.1 innings while walking one and striking out one. 

Game Two: Glenville State 26, Wheeling 9

The Pioneers brought the offense in game two, plating 26 runs over the seven innings. They scored 22 of those around over the first three innings, but even as they scored, the offense kept battling. The Cardinals got a run in the first on a J.R. Heavilin sacrifice fly that made it a 3- 1 game. As the game moved to the second, Glenville State scored six runs in their half, but Wheeling matched them with five in the bottom of the inning. After a single and a walk began the inning, Anthony May drove in two runs with a single to make it a 9-3 game. 

Wheeling would add two more runs on an error and a wild pitch that would make it a 9-5 game. Blake Vandiver would add an RBI groundout and it was a still a manageable 9-5 score. However, things would explode in the third inning as Glenville State scored 12 runs bringing the game to a 21-6 score. The Cardinals would get back on the board in the bottom of the fifth. After Vandiver reached with a leadoff double, J.R. Heavilin would drive him in two batters later with a double that made it 23-7. Chris Iazzetta would add another run on an RBI single that made it 23-8. The final Cardinals run would come from Garth Charlton, who lifted his second home run of the season to round out the Cardinals scoring effort.

Heavilin and May led the way, each going 1-2 with two RBI each in the game. Charlton added a 1-3 effort with two runs scored and a home run as no Cardinals finished with multi-hit games.  Austin Gussman got the start for Wheeling and lasted an inning, giving up three unearned runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one.

The Wheeling University Baseball team is back in action on Saturday, March 26th, when they hit the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan in doubleheader action.