Box Score
The two-time defending champion WVSU baseball team got its title defense off to a good start Thursday afternoon with a 6-2 win over West Liberty in a first round game in the third annual Mountain East Conference tournament in Beckley.

The Yellow Jackets now face Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Friday at Linda K. Epling Stadium. The Falcons (28-23) defeated Glenville State 22-4 Thursday night.

The Hilltoppers (27-23) provided plenty of competition taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd on a fielders choice.

 WVSU answered in the bottom of the frame scoring a run off an infield error.

 The Yellow Jackets (30-13) retook the lead when Trenton Porter belted a two-out 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to make the tally 2-1 after five innings.

 West Liberty came back to tie the game in the top of the seventh just before a rain delay paused action for about 15 minutes with the bases loaded with Hilltoppers.

 WVSU starter Dustin Kincaid returned from the stoppage and immediately coaxed a popup to short followed by a groundout to short that Brandon Wright scooped up and stepped on second to end the threat.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Yellow Jacket Head Coach Sean Loyd said. "We got a 'grind it out' performance from Kincaid in that he was effective without his best stuff."

After that the Yellow Jackets took control.

 Porter and Trayvis Patterson each knocked in a run in the bottom of the inning. Dylan Grimm drew a bases loaded walk and Jamison Jones drove in a run with a single to run the score to 6-2 in the bottom of the eighth.

"Porter had a couple of clutch hits and Jones was excellent again," Loyd said. "Our objective is to literally approach things one out at a time and I felt that helped us today because we started slow but didn't get frustrated." 

Kincaid went eight innings allowing six hits, walking four, and striking out four. Curtis Johnson came on to finish things off in the ninth.

Jones finished with three hits and Porter two to pace the attack.