Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Baseball team (12-25, 4-15) is coming off of their first winning weekend since the opening weekend of the season against Fairmont State. They look to carry that momentum into their midweek matchup as they host Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) on Tuesday at 3 PM. With two weeks left in the regular season, the Cardinals look to stay hot as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive with two more MEC North Division series still ahead of them.
On Sunday, the Cardinals wrapped up a rain shortened three-game series against Fairmont State in what was a back and forth affair. After a scoreless first inning for both teams, Fairmont State would take the first lead of the day, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the second. Wheeling would get one of those back in the bottom half, but trailed 2-1 early on. The breakout inning would come in the bottom of the fourth as the Cardinals loaded the bases and a three RBI double would give them their first lead of the night at 4-2. Fairmont State quickly tied the score in the top half of the inning, but Wheeling's offense stayed persistent, adding on two more runs in the bottom half to go ahead 6-4. However, the final tally would come in the top of the sixth via a three-rub inning by the Falcons, bringing the game to its final score of 7-6.
It was a breakout weekend for graduate student Jacob Lentz, who was a big part of the first MEC doubleheader sweep for the team on Saturday. During the week, Lentz finished 5-11 (.455) with two doubles, a home run, and nine RBI across the four games played. In the finale on Saturday, he was the own to step up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, and drove the ball to the wall. It ended up clearing the bases and gave the Cardinals their first lead of the night at 4-2. It was the second bases clearing hit of the series for the graduate student, after he delivered a grand slam in the series opener on Friday. With the effort, Lentz raised his season average to .250 across 32 at-bats and drove in nine of his 13 RBI this season during the week. With the Cardinals looking for consistent offense, he looks to be a breakout bat for the Cardinals down the final two-week stretch.
Along with Lentz's bat, the Cardinals have received a spark in the middle of the order courtesy of Christian Boyles. He has slated himself into the clean-up role and finished the week 7-13 (.538) with a double, a triple, a home run, and three runs scored. In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, Boyles provided the insurance with a three-run home run over the batter's eye in centerfield to clinch the 9-6 victory. Boyles picked up a pair of multi-hit games during the week and looks to continue that success during the final two weeks. On the mound, the Cardinal's top performance of the week came from Tomoki Jitsukawa, who took the ball in the game one walk-off winner. Jitsukawa threw a season best 5.0 innings allowing three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out two. Jitsukawa helped provide stability to the back end of the Cardinal rotation as they continue this final push.
With only two more midweek games remaining on the schedule, the Cardinals look to keep the momentum going against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) competition. The Cardinals have gone 2-2 in midweek games this season, with wins against Bluefield State and Bethany and both losses coming against CAL-U. The Cardinals look to change their fortunes against the strong PSAC competition with IUP this week, followed by their final midweek game of the season against Seton Hill next Tuesday. It is a chance for the Cardinal bullpen arms to shine as they fight to earn spots in the bullpen during the final two weekend series, where the Cardinals will be fighting to stay alive in the MEC Baseball Tournament field.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Crimson Hawks are meeting for the seventh time in program history on Tuesday, with the all-time series tied at 3-3. The Cardinals hold a 1-1 record on their home field, compared to a 2-2 mark when they hit the road to face the Crimson Hawks. It has been a high scoring series overall, with the Cardinals averaging 11.17 runs per game in the all-time series, and having scored six or more runs in each of the last four meetings between the two teams.
The last meeting came on April 23rd, 2024, in a game that IUP would win 16-12 at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. Former Cardinal Carlos D'Amato led the way, finishing 2-3 with two walks, a double, a home run, two runs scored, and five RBI in the effort. Nicolas Ancelet added a 3-5 day with an RBI while former Cardinal Scott Kondroik rounded out the day going 1-4 with a pair of RBI.
The Details
First pitch for Tuesday afternoon's game is scheduled for 3 PM at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
