PHILIPPI, W.VA. – West Virginia State Baseball opened Mountain East Conference action Sunday, sweeping Alderson Broaddus after scoring a combined 25 runs on the afternoon in 9-5 and 16-10 victories at Jack Funk Field. 

WVSU moves to 8-4 on the season and 2-0 in MEC play, while the Battlers remain winless at 0-15. 

GAME 1: WVSU 9, AB 5
State cranked out 13 hits on the day, led by a 3-for-4 performance from Kline, who launched his first long ball of the season while scoring three times. Senior Brett Christian drove in three on a pair of hits, and reliever Chase Norris earned his first win of the season, tossing two-thirds of an inning in relief of starter Quincy Thornton, who threw 2.1. 

The Yellow Jackets plated five runs in the opening frame, as graduate student Andrew Stone led off the contest with a double to right field and scored on a single from outfielder Trey Junkins to get WVSU on the board. A single from Kline and walk to first baseman Michael Stone (his first of 3 in the contest) advanced Junkins to third, and a double from Christian brought both he and Stone home to put State up 3-0. 

A sacrifice fly from sophomore Ryan Kay brought home Stone, and then Christian scored on a another double, this one coming from graduate student Andrew Sharp. 

The Battlers trimmed the lead to three runs after scoring twice in the bottom of the inning, but the gap was quickly built back to five after Kline's homer that also brought home freshman Nathan Paulsen, who had earlier doubled to left field. 

The 7-2 lead proved critical, as AB scored three times in the third after three hits, an error, and a hit-by-pitch, to put the score at 7-5. 

The Yellow Jackets responded quickly, using back-to-back singles from Junkins and Kline to get two on with no outs in the fourth. Michael Stone again walked to load the bases, and then Christian worked a free pass to bring Junkins home. Kline scored later in the inning on a Batter miscue for some extra cushion, bringing the score to its final 9-5 decision. 

Junkins, Paulsen, Andrew Stone, and Sharp all posted two hits each. 

GAME 2: WVSU 16, AB 10
The Yellow Jackets exploded with 13 runs across the first three innings, and finished the game with 11 hits. Junkins doubled twice, while he and Michael Stone each plated three runs each in the finale. Sophomore Colin Bryant registered his first win of the season.

State wasted no time in the nightcap, as Andrew Stone again opened the game with a double, then scored on another two-bagger, this coming from Junkins. He then came home on a single from Kline, and after a Michael Stone double and Christian was beaned to load the bases, a perfectly placed single into right field from Kay brought Kline home to put WVSU up 3-0 with just one out. 

Three wild pitches within six pitches of each other brought home M. Stone, Christian, and Kay to put State ahead early at 6-0 at the end of the first. Mike Stone added a run in the second, boarding on a hit-by-pitch, advancing on a walk to Christian, and coming home on a Kay double. 

The Battlers got on the board in the bottom of the frame thanks to a walk, double, and single, bringing the score 7-1 through two. 

State exploded in the third, plating seven runs on four hits and a pair of AB errors. A. Stone and Paulsen each singled their way on and then came home on a Kline connection to center field, and then another single to center field, this one from Michael Stone, brought home Junkins, who had reached on a fielder's choice.  Stone later scored on a wild pitch, and Christian, who had boarded via an infield single, came home on an AB error at third base. Sharp scored the final run of the frame, having reached on a free pass and coming home the same way on a walk to Paulsen to put State at a 14-1 mark. 

The Battlers scored five times across the next two innings to bring the score to 14-6, but the Yellow Jackets added some cushion with a pair of runs in the sixth. Sophomore Casey Kemplin walked to lead off the inning after entering in the bottom of the fifth to play second base, and scored after a Junkins double. Junkins came home the next at bat on a sacrifice fly. 

AB scored one run in the bottom of the sixth, and then used  a three-run jack in the seventh to threaten State as they narrowed the gap to 16-10, but the Yellow Jackets were able to close out the frame and move to 2-0 in league action. 

UP NEXT
State travels to South Euclid, Ohio, to face Notre Dame College for a pair of Monday matinees. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., with the second contest slated for 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available for both contests. NDC enters Monday with a 4-13 clip, and suffered a sweep against Charleston Sunday, falling 4-1 and 9-2.