CARY, N.C. – West Virginia State Baseball tallied two wins in the first two days of their weekend Division II showcase tournament at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.

State defeated fellow 2021 NCAA Regional participant Franklin Pierce 5-3 Friday, and split their Saturday doubleheader with New Haven, falling in Game 1 7-5 before bouncing back to win the finale 5-4.

GAME 1: WVSU 5, FRANKLIN PIERCE 3 (FRIDAY, MARCH 4)
Graduate student Andrew Stone led the way for State with a 3-for-4 day while freshman Nate Paulsen tallied two hits and scored twice. Senior Andrew Sharp and sophomore Ryan Kay also posted two hits each. Junior Nick Loftis hurled the win with six innings of relief and registering four strikeouts.

State wasted no time getting on the board, as the Stone brothers each singled to lead off the contest, and senior Michael Stone scored on a groundout from graduate student Matthew Kline.

The Ravens evened the contest in the bottom of the inning using a walk, stolen base, sacrifice bunt, and single.

The stalemate remained until the sixth, when Paulsen doubled down the left field line with two outs and then scored after Sharp reached on an error to third base.

Once again, the lead was short lived as Franklin Pierce plated a run in the bottom of the frame, but the Yellow Jackets took control for good with three runs in the eighth. Freshman Dante Zamudio led off the inning with a single, advancing to second from Paulsen and then scoring on a single through the right side from Sharp. Paulsen then came home on a passed ball, and Kay scored after reaching on a walk, advancing on a double play, and scoring on an Andrew Stone connection, also to the right side.

The Ravens used a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to threaten, but State was able to turn a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the 5-3 victory.

GAME 2:  WVSU 5, NEW HAVEN 7 (SATURDAY, MARCH 5)
Senior Brett Christian scored three times and graduate students Andrew Stone and Matthew Kline each tallied two hits in the loss, along with junior Trey Junkins. Freshman Dante Zamudio made his debut on the mound, striking out the side in an inning of relief.

The Chargers took an early lead with two runs in the top of the first on a triple and double. State wasted no time cutting the lead in half, as A. Stone singled with a hard ground ball to center, advanced on a single from Kline, and scored on another single to the outfield from Junkins.

The Yellow Jackets then tied the contest the following frame, as Christian scored after reaching on an error, swiping second base, moving to third on a wild pitch, and came home on another New Haven miscue.

The Chargers scored in the third and remained ahead until the bottom of the fourth, when Christian again came home on a Michael Stone single.

The 3-3 mark remained until the sixth inning when New Haven plated four runs off five hits for a 7-3 lead. State threatened in the bottom of the frame, after Sharp and Christian both scored after reaching via walks and coming home on connections from the Stone brothers.

GAME 3: WVSU 5, NEW HAVEN 4 (SATURDAY, MARCH 5)
The Yellow Jackets cranked out 12 hits in the nightcap, highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance from Michael Stone. Kline, Paulsen, and Christian all posted two hits apiece. Senior Foster Conis picked up his first win of the season, tossing 4.1 innings of relief while tallying five punchouts.

The game was a stalemate for the first two innings before State broke the blank and added some cushion with four runs in the top of the third. Christian led off the frame with a line drive single to center field, then advanced and scored on back-to-back singles from the Stone brothers. A Kline double brought home Michael Stone, and a Junkins sacrifice fly allowed Andrew to come home right after. Kline plated the final run of the frame after a Paulsen sac fly.

The Yellow Jackets added to their lead in the fifth after a double from Kay brought in Paulsen and gave WVSU a 5-0 advantage. Paulsen's run proved critical, as New Haven began to chip away at the lead, scoring in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to end the game with a 5-4 State victory.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets conclude their tournament in Cary Sunday, facing the College of Saint Rose for a matinee meeting. The two will face in one nine-inning game, slated for a 10:30 am first pitch.