Beaufort, S.C. – After a season-opening win on Friday night, the Wheeling University baseball team (1-1, 0-0) returned to the diamond on Saturday for game two of their three-game series against USC Beaufort. The Cardinals kept things close early, but the Sandsharks scored 12 runs in the final three innings to take down Wheeling, 16-5. It evened the season-opening series at one win apiece, and the Cardinals will look to bounce back on Sunday and win the weekend. 

Dom Carlson made the game two start for the Cardinals and, after allowing a leadoff single, retired the side with a scoreless first inning. The Sandsharks were first to strike with an RBI single by Andrew Walters, but the Cardinals responded in the top of the third. Edward Mateo got things started with a leadoff single and used his speed to take advantage of a Sandshark error. Caid Heflin sent a single to right field, and an error allowed Mateo to come around to score and Heflin to advance to third. Gavin Millians stepped in and picked up Heflin with a sacrifice fly to left, giving the Cardinals their first lead of the day at 2-1. USC Beaufort took that lead right back with a three-run bottom of the third, and after three innings, the Cardinals trailed 4-2. 

In the top of the fourth, the Cardinals got one of those runs back after Griffin Pickhardt reached on a one-out double. He moved to third on a two-out wild pitch, and Mateo brought him home with an RBI single to make it a 4-3 game. Carlson recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the fourth before bringing his day to an end. The redshirt sophomore threw 3.2 innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on nine hits while striking out four batters. 

Mason Fenwick came on in relief and was able to settle things down in the middle innings. He tossed 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one walk and striking out three of the eight batters he faced. 

The Cardinals' offense rewarded him in the top of the seventh inning, when Mateo reached base for the third time in the game with a single. Heflin attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but an error by the pitcher put runners on first and third with nobody out. Heflin then stole second to put two runners in scoring position, and two batters later, Luke Meyer reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Mateo to score and tie the game at 4-4. However, in the bottom of the inning, the Sandsharks broke out for four runs and opened the game back up to 8-4. Wheeling got one run back in the top of the eighth when Jaylen Raysor brought home Brett Johnson with a two-out RBI single, but eight more Sandshark runs in the bottom of the inning sealed the win. 

With the rally already complete, Kyle Binder came out of the bullpen looking for the final two outs of the inning. He allowed a two-out double to Beaufort's Noah Campbell but recorded the final two outs, striking out two of the three batters he faced, and the Cardinals stepped up for their final at-bats. They threatened to start the inning, as Heflin drew a walk and Millians replaced him at first on a fielder's choice. However, that would be the lone baserunner of the inning, and the Cardinals fell by a final score of 16-5. 

Leading the offensive effort for the Cardinals was Edward Mateo, who put together his second straight multi-hit performance. He finished the day 3-for-5 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored and sits at 5-for-9 (.556) through the first two games of the series. The other three-hit performance came from Nicholas Schulz, who finished 3-for-4, while Caid Heflin added a 2-for-3 day with a run scored and an RBI. The final RBI of the day came courtesy of Jaylen Raysor, who finished 1-for-4 with an RBI. Griffin Pickhardt had the team's only extra-base hit with a double, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. 

The Wheeling University baseball team returns for the rubber match of its three-game series against USC Beaufort on Sunday, February 8, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. Fans can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with live stats by clicking HERE.