Wheeling, W. Va. - After playing a nine-inning thriller on Thursday night at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex, the Wheeling University Baseball team (10-24, 2-14) is right back at it for their Easter weekend series. They continue Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division Play with a four-game weekend set against Fairmont State as the Cardinals look to get back on track. The series kicks off on Friday with doubleheader action beginning at 1 PM, followed by the second two games of the series on Saturday beginning at 3:30 PM.
Wheeling is coming off a wild nine-inning affiar against Bethany on Thursday that saw the team pick up their first walk-off win of the season. The Cardinal's offense was rolling early, scoring three runs in the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead over the Bison. However, it would be errors in the field that cost the Cardinals as Bethany pushed across three unearned runs that tied things at 3-3 after five innings of play. Both bullpens would lock down over the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, with the Cardinals having three relievers combine to throw up zeros. However, Bethany would push home a fourth unearned run in the top of the ninth, bringing the Cardinals to the plate needing at least one to keep the game alive. They would get that first run within the first three hitters of the inning, before walking things off with a single to get the win.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was their table setter at the top of the lineup, Brett Johnson, who finished 3-5 with two doubles and two RBI. His RBI double in the bottom of the ninth would tie the game and started the comeback for the Cardinals before their eventual walk-off single. It was a breakout game for Johnson, who had been in a 1-17 slump entering play as he was a table setter for the Cardinals. It raised his season average to .289 putting him top three out of all active players on the roster. He has been working his way back to full health after missing time due to an injury, but has once again become a steady presence in left field for the Cardinals. As they continue through their final three MEC North series of the season, Johnson looks to continue providing that spark for the team as they try to play their way back into the MEC Tournament picture.
However, the biggest hit of the day came from the guy who walked it off in Christian Boyles, who finished 2-5 with an RBI on the day in the clean-up spot. He stepped in with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth, and lined an RBI single down the left field line to give the Cardinals a much-needed boost after dropping four to Frostburg State the previous weekend. Over his last three games, Boyles has gone 3-9 (.333) out of the clean-up spot and sits with 11 RBI on the season. It was also a strong day for the bullpen, with Ethan Wendell coming through in one of the biggest spots for his team. Wendell entered the game in the top of the seventh with runners on second and third and two outs, and delivered with a big strikeout to get out of the jam. He came back to toss a scoreless eighth inning, finishing 1.1 allowing just one hit and striking out two to help his team get set up for the walk-off win.
As it stands now, the Cardinals sit fifth in the MEC North Division at 2-14 in conference play and are sitting five games back of West Liberty and nine games back of Fairmont State for the final playoff spot. With the Cardinals still having three of their four MEC North opponents ahead of them, this weekend offers them a chance to gain some ground and at least play spoiler in the Tournament field. The Cardinals are looking for their first weekend win since the opening week against Pitt-Johnstown and showed signs of growth in the series against Frostburg State. Wheeling will be looking to string good hitting and good pitching together to get the ball rolling in late April.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 60th time in program history when they open their four-game set on Friday, with Fairmont State leading the all-time series at 35-24. However, the Cardinals have played the Falcons much better at home, going 14-17 at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex compared to 8-17 when they make the trip to Fairmont State. The Cardinal's offense has played a big factor in those games, averaging 4.46 runs per game, and each team has scored three or more runs in each of the previous four meetings.
Last season, the teams split the weekend set, with the Cardinals sweeping day one and the Falcons sweeping the second day of the series. The Cardinals would win the first two games by scores of 18-7 and 6-3, while the Falcons came back on day two winning 8-7 and 11-10. It was a big weekend for Nicolas Ancelet, who finished 5-12 in the series, while former Cardinal Braden Killens finished 4-11 with three home runs and nine RBI across the four-game series.
The Details
First pitch for Friday's opener at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex is scheduled for 1 PM. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
