ELKINS, W.Va. -- Another doubleheader sweep for West Virginia State baseball improved their win streak to 13 games Sunday, as the squad downed Davis & Elkins 8-5 and 9-4 (8 inn.) Sunday at Harpertown Field. The Yellow Jackets move to 28-7 on the season and 24-4 in Mountain East Conference play, while the Senators fall to 7-21 overall and in MEC action.
Junior
Michael Stone was a force at the plate, going 6-for-9 on the day. Stone also scored four times and drove in two. Graduate student
Christopher Jordan tallied four hits across the two contests while classmate
Matt Harrison homered his league-leading 12th long ball of the season and registered a strong five RBI.
Graduate student
Jacob Bradley picked up the win in both games, moving to 6-2 on the season.
GAME 1: WVSU 8, D&E 5
State wasted no time getting on the board, going up 3-0 three batters in thanks to Harrison's homer, where he brought in both Stone and Jordan, who had each singled to begin the frame.
A
Jared Hunt double to left center brought in fellow outfielder
Matthew Kline, who had also reached via single, ended the top of the first with a 4-0 lead for the Yellow Jackets.
The Senators broke through in the fourth with a solo shot, but State regained the four-run advantage quickly after senior
Andrew Stone led off the fifth with a double and scored on a long single to center field from sophomore
Trey Junkins.
The Senators used a trio of hits in the sixth to score four runs and even the contest at 5-5. State used their final at bats to plate three runs for the 8-5 victory. Pinch runner
Brendan Quinn scored the go-ahead for State on a single from graduate student
Antonio Brown, and then added insurance on runs from
Noah Cummings, who pinch ran for Brown and shortstop
Brett Christian, who came home on a sacrifice bunt from Jordan.
Bradley tossed an inning of relief to earn the win and
Andrew Stone registered his fourth save of the year.
GAME 2: WVSU 9, D&E 4 (EIGHT INNINGS)
State again took the lead right off the bat, as
Michael Stone singled to lead off the game and later scored on a passed ball.
The lead remained until the bottom of the third when the Senators tied things up on a fielder's choice and single. State took control the following frame, with
Andrew Stone scoring on an error, and then added an insurance run by scoring again in the sixth off a double from Kline.
The Stone scoring affair continued, as Michael, who had reached on an error, was brought in by big brother Andrew on a groundout to second and put State up 4-1. The three-run lead was short-lived, as Davis & Elkins tied things up in the seventh on a three-run homer to force extra innings.
A leadoff walk to Hunt started the momentum for State in the eighth. He scored the go-ahead on a single to left field. The Yellow Jackets added cushion courtesy of catcher
Andrew Massey, who scored after reaching on a fielder's choice,
Michael Stone once more, and Christian, who both came home on a long single to center from Harrison.
An illegal pitch call brought in Jordan for the Yellow Jackets final run of the frame.
Bradley tossed two innings and registered three strikeouts for his sixth win of the season.
UP NEXT
State concludes their MEC regular season next weekend, splitting two and two with cross-town rival Charleston. The Yellow Jackets will travel to Welch Athletic Complex Friday for a pair of games before welcoming the Golden Eagles Sunday in their regular season finales.
