Wheeling, W. Va. - Through the early portion of their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule, the Wheeling University Baseball team (13-8, 4-4) has been going through the MEC South Division before jumping into MEC North play in April. The Cardinals wrap up their run in that South Division this weekend when they go on the road for a pair of doubleheaders as they look to improve on their 6-6 mark away from the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. They kick off the weekend on Saturday when they take on Concord at 1 PM followed by a doubleheader on Sunday against Glenville State at 1 PM.
Last time out, the Cardinals earned their second straight sweep when they took care of Davis & Elkins on Monday in a game that was rescheduled due to inclement weather. It was a tale of two games for the Cardinals, with game one featuring the Cardinal's offense front and center and game two featuring a pitcher's duel. The Cardinals would score in four of the six innings when they came to the plate in game one, with the big blow being six runs scored in the bottom of the fourth. The Cardinals went on to win that game 11-3 and set up a chance for a weekend sweep in game two. That second game would end up going to extra innings and saw the Cardinals with a chance for their second walk-off of the season. They would come through in the bottom of the eighth with that walk-off hit and went on to win the game 2-1 to even their conference record back up at 4-4.
The man leading the charge for the Cardinals on offense was sophomore Braeden Killens, who finished the day a combined 4-5 with a triple, a double, two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored. In the first game, Killens reached base in all three of his at-bats, hitting a home run and a triple to drive in his two runs. In game two, Killens was responsible for both Cardinals runs, hitting a solo home run in the fourth and delivered the walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth. With the effort, Killens moved into the team lead in both RBI (19) and home runs (4) as he continues his strong showing in his first season with the Cardinals.
In both games, the Cardinals got strong outings from their starting pitching with Kenny Jinks getting the ball in game one and Dominic Parker-McDonald making the game two start. Jinks was strong throughout the evening, throwing 6.0 innings allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out seven. He wasn't scored upon until the fifth inning of the game and allowed just three hits over his first four innings. Parker-McDonald was just as strong in game two, throwing 5.0 shutout innings on four hits while striking out two batters. It was Parker-McDonald's best start of the season, and he looks to build off as the season progresses.
While the weekend was big in terms of getting the Cardinals back on track, it also helped them make a jump in the MEC North Division standings. They currently sit tied for second in the MEC North with Frostburg State, leapfrogging three teams in the division. They are one game behind rival West Liberty for first place in the MEC North and, with North Division play beginning next week, the Cardinals are looking to get momentum on their side for the stretch run. They look to start April strong this weekend and show that this early conference start is not Fools Gold.
The Matchups
Concord: The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 31st and 32nd time in program history, with Concord leading the all-time series at 22-8. When the teams meet in Athens, West Virginia, Wheeling is 4-10, with two of those four wins coming in the last two games in Athens. Overall, the Cardinals have won four of the last six meetings with Concord and look to keep that momentum going this time around. Last season, the two teams split their doubleheader with the Cardinals winning game one 16-1 and Concord taking game two 7-5. Former Cardinal Riley Cameron led the way in game one, going 2-4 with a double, a home run, and three RBI, while former Cardinal J.R. Heavilin went 1-4 with a home run and an RBI in game two.
Glenville State: The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the 25th and 26th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 14-10. The Cardinals have identical 7-5 records both at home and on the road against Glenville State with the two teams splitting the last six games. Last season, the two teams split their doubleheader with the Cardinals winning game one 10-8 and Glenville taking game two 26-9. Lucas Rawlins led the Cardinals in game one, going 2-4 with four RBI while Anthony May went 1-2 with two RBI in game two.
The Details
First pitch for Saturday's opening doubleheader is scheduled for 1 PM at Anderson Field on the campus of Concord University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
