The Cardinal will be looking to bounce back into the win column after they played their midweek game against CAL-U on Wednesday. The Cardinals battled throughout the afternoon, with 21 different players participating for the Cardinals. In the early going, it was a tightly contested game, with neither team getting on the board over the first 2.5 innings of play. CAL-U was first to break through, putting up a three-spot in the bottom of the third, and the Cardinals responded with a run of their own in the top half of the fourth. However, it was the Vulcans that would end up getting the offensive breakthrough, scoring eight runs over the final four innings as they went on to win 11-1 to close out the opening weekend series.
 

Over the last week, the Cardinals have gotten a boost from the bottom of the lineup, courtesy of Nic Ancelet. Ancelet went 1-2 in the mid-week effort against CAL-U, upping his stretch to 7-14 over hisast five games. Ancelet played big for the Cardinals in their series split with Notre Dame College, where he drove in five runs during the four-game set. His biggest game came in the second game of the setiesz when he went 2-3 with four RBI on the day, including driving in a big insurance run. He added a three-hit day the following afternoon, driving in his fifth RBI of the series as he wrapped up the breakout performance. With the effort, Ancelet has moved his season average to .345, placing him second on the team behind Scott Kondroik through 31 games played this season.
 

In the mound, the Cardinals got some of their best pitching performances of the year, led by the efforts of Wes Landis. Landis took the ball in the second game of the series, and tossed his first complete game of the seasons. The sophomore allowed just three hits on the day, and trusted his defense behind him, while walking one and striking out three. After Glenville State knocked him out after 2.2 innings, it was a nice bounce back for Landis, as he looks to continue that momentum into this weekend set . In Wednesday's game, it was Ethan Wendell who led the way out of the bullpen, throwing 1.2 innings of work not allowing a run. He allowed two hits while striking out one in the game. It was the third straight scoreless outings for Wendell out of the bullpen as he looks to add some depth and consistency to the bullpen.
 

This is a big weekend for the Cardinals as the top spot in the MEC North Division title on the line. The Cardinals currently sit six games back of Frostburg State for the top spot. A winning weekend would put the Cardinals within striking distance for the top spot in the conference for the first time since the 2021 season, when they bested West Liberty by four games. Last season, the Cardinals took the #2 seed in the MEC North Division and made it to the semifinal round for the first time in program history. As they head into this weekend, the Cardinals once again have their eyes on the top spot in the MEC North Division as they head through the final four weekends of the regular season.
 

The Matchup
 

The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 13th and 14th times in program history on Sunday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 7-5. It will only be the third and fourth meeting between the two teams at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex, where the Cardinals are 0-2 compared to a 6-2 mark when playing in Frostburg, Maryland. It has been a high scoring affair throughout the all-time series, with the Cardinals scoring seven runs per game in the all-time series.
 

Last season, the two teams split their doubleheader, with Frostburg State winning the first game 13-3 and the Cardinals taking game two 6-2. In game one, it was Braden Killens leading the way, going 2-3 with an RBI, while former Cardinal Lucas Rawlins added two RBI. In the second game, Donovan Dubuisson led the way, going 2-2 with three RBI, while former Cardinal Jacob Murray added a home run, while going 2-4 with an RBI.
 

The Details
 

First pitch for Sunday's series opener is scheduled for 1 PM inside 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.