Wheeling, W. Va. - For the first 15 games of the season, the Wheeling University Baseball team (6-9, 1-3) has been on the road. On Saturday, the Cardinals are back at their home field as they open the home portion of their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule. The Cardinals will open the weekend against West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday at 2 PM, and follow it up with a Sunday doubleheader against Davis & Elkins at 1 PM.
The Cardinals are coming off their midweek match-up at Wild Things Park where they took on California University of Pennsylvania in a marathon nine-inning game. The Cardinals offesne would get started early, scoring seven runs over the first two innings, including a five-run top of the second inning. However, the CAL-U offense found their stride as well,scoring five runs in that same span. The Cardinals would hold the lead until the bottom of the fourth, when the Vulcans tallied five runs and flip[ed the script to take a 10-7 lead. The Cardinals would take the lead back in the top of the seventh with five runs, but CAL-U took the lead back with a run in the seventh and two in the eight to take a 15-13 lead. That would remain the score as the Cardinals went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, dropping to 6-9 on the season.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Spencer Craig, who finished 2-4 with a double, three runs scored, and three RBI. Craig has been a consistent presence in the middle of the Cardinal's lineup over the past three seasons, and was a catalyst for the early offense, bringing home the first run of the game with an RBI single in the top of the first. It was Craig's sixth multi-hit effort of the season, and his third straight game where he has picked up two hits and at least two RBI. The effort helped raise his season average to .295, sitting second behind Brett Johnson for the team lead. As they continue through their conference schedule, Craig will look to be a key contributor as the Cardinals chase down an MEC Tournament spot.
In total, the Cardinals had three different players reach the three-RBI mark, with Nicolas Ancelet and Nicholas Schultz each reaching the mark. Ancelet would reach the mark early, finishing 2-6 with a triple, three RBI, and two runs scored. All three of his RBI would come on one hit when in the top of the sixth he was able to clear the bases with a three-run triple. Schultz would also get an early RBI, with a single in the top of the first, and added a pair late with an RBI single in the sixth and a bases loaded walk in the seventh that made it a 12-9 Wheeling lead. Schultz would finish 2-5 with a walk, a run scored, and three RBI in the game.
The Cardinals will continue with the MEC South portion of their schedule this weekend as they welcome in West Virginia State and Davis & Elkins. The Cardinals will be looking for their first weekend win since the opening weekend of the season, when they took three out of four games against Pitt-Johnstown. Over the last three games, it has been the offense leading the way, with the team averaging 10.67 runs per game, with two of those being double digit run efforts. The offense will look to get hot this weekend and strike early as they did against CAL-U in support of their starting pitching. The Cardinal starters will look to get deep into the game and set their teams up for success in the late innings.
The Matchups
West Virginia Wesleyan: The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 37th and 38th times in program history, with West Virginia Wesleyan leading the all-time series at 19-17. The Cardinals have played better at home, holding a 12-7 record compared to a 4-9 record when they are on the road. Wheeling has had the bats working in the all-time series, averaging just over 5.0 runs per game all-time against the Bobcats. Last season, the Cardinals and Bobcats split the series with Wheeling winning game one 13-2 and following it up with a 7-8 loss in the second game of the day.
Davis & Elkins: The Cardinals and Senators are meeting for the 24th and 25th times in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 16-7. The Cardinals are currently riding an eight game winning streak in the all-time series, including a 6-4 record when the teams meet at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. It is another high-scoring series for the Cardinals, with the team averaging over six runs per game in the all-time series. Last season, the two teams met in Elkins, West Virginia with the Cardinals taking the first game 10-5 and adding a 9-1 and following it up with a 10-5 win in the second game of the day.
The Details
First pitch for Saturday's weekend opener is scheduled for 2 PM inside the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
