INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State's baseball team began their season on Friday, Feb. 14 for a pair of seven-inning games against the Bluefield State University Big Blue and came away with wins in both, winning game one 11-2, and game two 5-2.
Post Game Records
WVSU: 2-0
BSU: 0-8
Game one: WVSU 11, BSU 2 (7 innings)
State opened the first inning with a flyout before getting the next three batters on base. Connor Fizer hit a screamer that bounced off the wall allowing Brodie Guenther and Nathan Paulson to score, 2-0.
A four run, eight batter second inning started with a Michael Bittinger triple, but the relay in was overthrown by the shortstop allowing Bittinger to trot home. A double to left center by Guenther allowed Kyle Waters to score and then a dropped fly ball from Fizer allowed the pair of Guenther and Paulson to score for the second consecutive inning, 6-0.
WVSU again marched eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the third inning. A pair of singles put runners on first and third then Carter Ruffner hit a line shot to the third baseman. Bittinger scored on the play, however, the throw to retire Ethan Spolarich was on target but dropped by the second baseman. A Kyle Waters double scored Spolarich and Guenther fired a shot through the infield to clean up the rest of the runners, giving State the 10-0 lead after three.
A wild pitch in the sixth increased the lead to 11 and Bluefield State plated two in the top of the seventh for the final.
Guenther went 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs. Bittinger also was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs. JT Fabian got the win, fanning two, walking two and only giving up one hit.
Game two: WVSU 5, BSU 2 (7 innings)
Neither team scored in the first two innings. Nate Paulen was plunked in the bottom of the third and Guenther hit a sac fly to score him, but the left fielder dropped the fly ball allowing Waters to score and Guenther to reach third. Guenther later scored on Paulson's RBI single, 3-0.
A bases-clearing two-out double by Jaob Buysee in the bottom of the fifth scored Guenther and Fizer to score. 5-0.
Bluefield State scored on two consecutive hit-by-pitches which ended up ending the day for reliever Zane Loveday, having only thrown a third of an inning. Tyrus Baumgardner came in to close the game for WVSU, and while BSU got one more run on an RBI ground-out, a strikeout ended the game giving WVSU the 5-2 victory.
Guenther was 2-for-2 in the game, and 5-for-5 on the day, adding two more runs and another RBI. Six other Yellow Jackets got hits in game two. Brian Lingenfelter picked up the win, giving up five hits but striking out five batters and not allowing a run. Baumgardner got the save, his sixth of his career.
Up Next
WVSU will have a weekend series against Malone University in Institute on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22. First pitch of game one will be at noon on Friday, Feb. 21.
