BECKLEY, W.Va. – West Virginia State Baseball will have to fight its way out of the Consolation Bracket after falling 6-5 to Alderson Broaddus in the opening round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament Thursday at Linda K. Epling Stadium.
 
The Yellow Jackets, who entered the tournament as the top seed from the South division, will face the loser of North Division Champions Wheeling and the South's third-seeded Concord. First pitch is slated for noon Friday, with live stats and video available.  The winner will immediately advance to the 3:30 game, where they will play the loser of Charleston and West Liberty.
 
State slips to 28-8 on the season, while AB, the North's third-seeded squad, improves to above .500 at 18-17.
 
Four Yellow Jackets turned in multi-hit performances, led by MEC All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree Matthew Kline, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI after blasting a dramatic home run in the seventh to nearly tie the contest.  Third baseman Christopher Jordan, outfielder Trey Junkins, and shortstop Brett Christian each also turned in two hits apiece.
 
A trio of hits put the Battlers ahead right away, going up 2-0 in the first. State cut the lead in half in the second, after Kline led off the inning with a single through the left side and came around to score on a RBI groundout from catcher Andrew Massey.
 
The 2-1 mark remained until the bottom of the fourth, when Christian singled home outfielder Jared Hunt, who had walked and stole second earlier in the frame, for the equalizer.
 
The stalemate was short lived, as AB used another trio of hits, including back-to-back doubles, to plate two runs and take a 4-2 advantage in the fifth. State again played catchup in the bottom of the inning, after Jordan walked to lead off the frame and scored on a fielder's choice from Kline to make it 4-3.
 
A homer and another double proved troublesome for the Yellow Jackets as AB widened the gap to 6-3 in the top of the seventh. State threatened, as Kline launched his first long ball of the year, a two-run shot to left center that also welcomed home senior Andrew Stone, who had doubled the at bat right before.
 
Down 6-5, Junkins fought to keep the momentum going, singling to center field, but he was stranded as AB pulled off the upset on Day 1 of the tournament.
 
First Team All-MEC Pitcher Ethan Lauchart suffered the loss, his first of the season, lasting just 4.2 innings.