BECKLEY, W.Va. – West Virginia State Baseball battled through an elimination game Friday, downing the North's number one seed, Wheeling, 6-3 at Linda K. Epling Stadium on the second day of the Mountain East Conference Tournament.
 
State improves to 29-8 with the win, while Wheeling ends their season at 27-14.
 
The Yellow Jackets advance to Saturday's consolation round, where they will face an opponent yet to be determined, at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be provided.
 
Graduate student Christopher Jordan and senior Andrew Stone, a 2021 All-MEC Honorable Mention honoree, drove in two runs apiece on the afternoon, as Stone smacked his fourth homer of the year.

State broke through right away, plating four runs in the top of the first. All-MEC Second Team selection Michael Stone singled on the third pitch of the game, and then came home two batters later courtesy of a single up the middle from All-MEC First Team selection Matt Harrison. The older Stone then belted a long ball to right field to put the Yellow Jackets up 3-0. The final run of the inning came via yet another All-MEC selection in outfielder Matthew Kline, who walked, stole second, advanced on an error, and scored on another Wheeling miscue.
 
The four-run gap remained until the fifth, when the Cardinals used a leadoff double, took advantage of a State error, and used a sacrifice fly and a single to cut the lead in half at 4-2.
 
The Yellow Jackets added more insurance in the sixth, when graduate student Christopher Jordan doubled home center fielder Jared Hunt and shortstop Brett Christian, putting WVSU back at a four-run advantage at 6-2.
 
A solo shot from the Cardinals in the ninth threatened State, but a strikeout from Yellow Jackets' hurler Nick Loftis sealed the victory for State at 6-3.
 
Loftis, a sophomore, struck out seven through seven innings of relief to earn the win.