Wheeling, W. Va. - It is a rarity to see the home team in a baseball game batting first, but that is exactly what fans will see at the I-470 J.B. Chambers Sports Complex on Tuesday. The Wheeling University Baseball team (8-13, 4-2) will serve as the hosts for their doubleheader with Davis & Elkins, with first pitch at 1 PM, but will be the away team in the game. This comes after inclement weather over the weekend forced the teams to change locations and reschedule their doubleheader that was originally scheduled for Sunday.
The Cardinals started their weekend off strong on Friday when they hit the road to face West Virginia State on Friday. They swept their first doubleheader of the season by combining to score 33 runs in the two games while hitting .380 as a team in the two games. They started things out with a commanding 15-5 win where they took advantage of five Bobcat errors and never gave up the lead on their way to victory. In game two, however, things didn't look like they would go the Cardinals way as West Virginia Wesleyan built an 8-4 lead over the first three innings of play. The Cardinals would then rally back, scoring 14 times over the final four innings and secured their first sweep with an 18-8 victory.
It was a big weekend at the plate for two Cardinal sluggers with seniors Jack Skantze and Chris Iazzetta each having big performances. Iazzetta was the most productive hitter for the Cardinals during the weekend, going 3-6 (.500) with a triple and six RBI in the two games played. His biggest performance came in the second game of that series, when he went 2-4 with four RBI to help his team score the come from behind victory. The effort helped raise his average to .254 on the season and he continues to hold the team lead with 25 RBI. The Cardinals also received a spark at the top of their lineup, courtesy of Jack Skantze, who finished the weekend 5-9 with a home run, two triples, and five RBI. Both players have been key contributors for the Cardinals and will look to continue their hot streaks this weekend.
On the mound, the Cardinals had their share of struggles, but got some help from the bullpen in both games. Game one saw Hayden Wilcox come on to relieve Dominic Parker-McDonald after McDonald was charged with five runs, four earned, on eight hits while walking two and striking out one. Wilcox came in and shut the door on the Bobcats in that final inning, not allowing a run on two hits in the effort. In game two, Connor Pinsker relieved starter Paul Tripi and put up his best outing of the season with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed two hits and struck out two batters in what turned out to be a big moment for the Cardinals as they battled back in the game. Jack Rife pitched the final inning of the game, not allowing a run on just one hit to secure the victory.
As the calendar gets ready to flip to April, the race for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) playoffs is about to heat up. As it stands now, Wheeling sits in third in the MEC North Division with a record of 4-2 through six games. They are two games behind divisional leader Fairmont State and are just one game behind Frostburg State for second in the division. The race is entering its third week of conference play and is still very tight with four of the five teams within four games of the division lead. With the top three teams from each division making the tournament, Wheeling is looking to hold their standing in the division and keep control of their own destiny.
The Matchup
Tuesday will mark the 18th all-time meeting between the two teams and will be the ninth all-time away meeting for the Cardinals. Wheeling holds the all-time series record, going 10-7 against the Senators and are 6-2 in away games against Davis & Elkins. However, when they have met in Wheeling, the series is much more even with the Senators going 4-4 against the Cardinals in eight career games. Wheeling is looking to channel their success from Elkins, West Virginia, and bring that to their home field on Tuesday.
Last season marked the first time since 2013 that the two teams met, but Wheeling won both games by identical 5-4 scores. Wheeling scored a walk-off winner in game one, thanks to a Jacob Murray RBI single, and in game two it was another walk-off win for the Cardinals, this time on a wild pitch that brought home Blake Vandiver. The Cardinals are looking to win it in less dramatic fashion this time around as they take on the Senators at J.B. Chambers Field.
The Details
First pitch for Tuesday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1 PM followed by game two shortly after at around 3 PM. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
