Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Baseball team (19-26, 15-13) opens a big series this weekend as the race for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) playoffs comes down to the wire. They open the four-game home and home series with rival West Liberty University on Saturday and sit just two games out of a playoff spot. The series opener will be at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex on Saturday, May 7th, beginning at 5 PM and the series will wrap up on Sunday, May 8th, at West Liberty with first pitch at 1 PM.
With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread last weekend, the Cardinals put together a big series against Alderson Broaddus that saw them take three out of four games and stay alive in the playoff hunt. After dropping the first game of the series 6-5, the Cardinals battled back to win the final three games to take the series. The offense played their part, combining for 40 runs in the four games, while the pitching staff did some of its best work behind them to give them a chance to win all four games of the series.
The shining achievement on the mound came from senior Logan Pillars, who won the second game with his first career complete game. He was efficient on the mound, allowing just three singles in the game while walking four and striking out six to complete the gem. Pillars has turned it on down the stretch, allowing just two earned runs over his last 12.0 innings for an ERA of 1.50 during that stretch. If the Cardinals are going to make the playoffs, they need some good pitching in front of them and Pillars looks to keep his hot streak going on the mound as the team tries for the series sweep against the Hilltoppers.
On the offensive end, the Cardinals got big production numbers from outfielder Chris Iazzetta and catcher Garth Charlton. Across the four games of the series, Iazzetta combined to drive in 11 of his team's 40 runs and hit two big home runs that got the Cardinals going. In game one of the series, he hit a two-run home run and he followed it up with a three-run home run in game three of the series. He is hitting .312 (5-16) over his past five games and looks to end his season on a high note against West Liberty. Charlton wrapped up the Alderson Broaddus series with a big day at the plate, going 2-3 with three RBI and has raised his average to .324. Charlton has also been hot at the plate, hitting .444 (8-18) over his last six games and will once again get a chance to be a leader in the middle of the Cardinals lineup.
The stage is now set for an epic ending as Notre Dame College and Wheeling battle for the final spot in the MEC playoffs. Fairmont State and Frostburg State have each clinched their spot in this year's tournament and the Cardinals and Falcons are separated by just 2.0 games heading into the final four games of the season. Wheeling does hold the tie breaker over Notre Dame College because they took three of four in their season series earlier this year, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The Cardinals would need to sweep West Liberty and have Notre Dame and Alderson Broaddus split their four-game series to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the second year in a row.
The Matchup
The Battle for Wheeling is entering its 53rd all-time meeting in what has been a back-and-forth series. Wheeling has a record of 24-28 against the Hilltoppers entering the weekend, however, three of the last five games have gone to the Cardinals. The series has been much closer wat West Liberty, with Wheeling going 14-15 there compared to 10-13 when they play at home. The Cardinals have averaged 4.27 runs per game against the Hilltoppers in a series that has been full of instant classics.
Last season, the teams met three times and the Hilltoppers took two of the three matchups. The Hilltoppers swept the doubleheader at J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex before Wheeling came back and won the lone game at West Liberty on their senior day. It was a big series for Jacob Murray, who went 4-9 (.444) with five RBI across the three-game set.
The Details
First Pitch for Saturday's series opener is scheduled for 5 PM at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
