Wheeling, W. Va. - In their Mountain East Conference (MEC) opening weekend, the Wheeling University Baseball team (6-13, 2-2) pounded out 40 runs as they split to begin their conference schedule at 2-2. They now hit the road looking to keep the offense hot as they get set to take on West Virginia Wesleyan on Friday in doubleheader action beginning at 11 AM. It continues Wheeling's stretch against MEC South Division opponents as they try to get the best of their out of division opponents before facing their divisional schedule through most of April.
During their opening weekend, Wheeling split both of their doubleheaders against Concord and Glenville State. In three of the four games, Wheeling scored 9+ runs and brought their season average up to 7.5 runs per game. The Cardinals started out strong with 16 runs in their weekend opener as they took down Concord 16-1 before falling 7-5 in the second game in extra innings. On day two of the weekend, Wheeling battled Glenville State and once again took the first game in a 10-8 affair before dropping the second game 26-9. The Cardinals had some big contributions from both sides of the ball as they look to build off those performances the rest of the way.
On the offensive side of the ball, Wheeling had big contributors up and down the lineup, but none bigger than the contributions of Riley Cameron and Lucas Rawlins. Cameron led the charge in the doubleheader against Concord, combining to go 3-7 with five runs scored, a double, and three RBI. All three of those RBI came in the game one 16-1 win as Cameron brought his batting average up to .358 for the season. For Rawlins, the success came in the Glenville doubleheader where he combined to go 3-7 with four RBI. He had a career-high four RBI in the first game of that doubleheader, finishing 2-4 with two 2-RBI singles in the game.
On the mound, the Cardinals got another stellar pitching performance from starting pitcher Dominic Parker-McDonald. The Cardinals have been searching for pieces for their starting rotation and Parker-McDonald has established himself as one of the team's top starters. He pitched the first game of the weekend and turned in Wheeling's first complete game of the season, allowing one run on six hits and not allowing an extra base hit. He is pitching to a 2.07 ERA over his last two starts and is becoming a reliable option for Ryan Lewicki's staff. Logan Pillars also turned in a strong start in game one of the Glenville State doubleheader, going 5.1 innings while allowing three runs before a three-run home run caused his exit.
As the Cardinals continue to move through their conference schedule, they are looking to find some consistency on the mound and get back to the MEC playoffs. With all MEC teams having played their first two games of the season, Wheeling, and Notre Dame College sit in the middle of the standings with the only splits of the weekend at 2-2. Wheeling will take on every team in the MEC South Division over the next two weeks, leading up to the start of Divisional play on April 9th against Fairmont State. Wheeling is looking to show what they can do on the diamond and continue to improve with each outing as they climb towards their goal of getting to the NCAA Tournament.
The Matchup
Friday will mark the 31st all-time matchup between the Cardinals and Bobcats, and the 10th meeting all-time. West Virginia Wesleyan holds the all-time series record at 18-12 against Wheeling, but it has been the home team that has had the most success. When the teams meet in Wheeling, the Cardinals have a 10-7 record, however, when they meet in Buckhannon that record drops to 1-8. Last season, the Cardinals were able to sweep the season series, picking up identical 6-3 wins in both games.
In the first game of that doubleheader, it was Blake Vandiver leading the way going 2-4 at the top of the lineup while five different Cardinals drove in runs in the game. In the second game, Wheeling managed just three hits, but six West Virginia Wesleyan errors led the team to victory. However, former Cardinal Luis Dominguez led the way with a 1-2 effort with a run scored and two RBI in the win.
The Details
First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 11 AM on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan. You can watch the games live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
