WILSON, N.C. -- West Virginia State baseball went 1-3 over four games in Wilson, N.C. at the Wilson Tobs tournament that was played from Feb. 28 - March 2, securing an 11-6 victory over Jefferson but falling twice to Clarion and once to Jefferson in a walk-off loss. The Yellow Jackets' offense showed flashes of power, highlighted by home runs from Aidan Paulsen, Ethan Spolarich, and Connor Fizer, but struggled to contain opponents' big innings, particularly in the losses to Clarion.
Post-Game Records
WVSU: 5-5
Clarion: 3-3
Jefferson: 4-3
Game 1: Clarion 8, West Virginia State 5
West Virginia State led 4-0 after five innings, scoring three in the fifth behind a two-run double from Tyler Overaitis. Clarion responded with six runs in the bottom half, highlighted by a grand slam from Caden Contant. The Yellow Jackets pulled within one in the sixth, but Clarion extended its lead in the eighth on a two-run homer from Ethan McNally.
West Virginia State totaled 10 hits, with Michael Bittinger recording three and Overaitis adding two RBI. Starting pitcher JT Fabian took the loss, giving up six runs in 4.2 innings. Clarion's Reilly Shafer earned the win, striking out eight over five innings, while Griffin Snyder picked up the save with two scoreless innings.
Game 2: Jefferson 8, West Virginia State 7
West Virginia State took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning when Ethan Spolarich hit a two-run homer to center field. Jefferson tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run from J. Lopez. The game remained tied until the ninth inning when West Virginia State put up five runs, highlighted by a three-run home run from Aidan Paulsen and an RBI double from Brodie Guenther. Jefferson responded with six runs in the bottom of the ninth, capped by a grand slam from A. Angulo to secure the walk-off victory.
West Virginia State finished with nine hits, led by Paulsen and Spolarich, who each hit home runs. The Yellow Jackets used four pitchers, with starter Z. Loveday allowing one unearned run over five innings. Reliever Tyrus Baumgardner took the loss after giving up the game-winning home run.
Game 3: Clarion 12, West Virginia State 1 (7 innings)
Clarion scored in every inning but the seventh, building an early 6-0 lead through three innings. A four-run fifth inning extended their advantage, highlighted by back-to-back doubles from Griffin Snyder and Cole Yeager. West Virginia State managed just one run in the seventh, with Tyler Perdue driving in Brodie Guenther with a double.
Clarion totaled 14 hits, led by Snyder and Yeager, who each had multiple extra-base hits. West Virginia State recorded six hits, with Guenther and Perdue each doubling. Starting pitcher Ayden Hodges took the loss, allowing two runs in 1.2 innings, while Clarion's Carter Barrett pitched six scoreless innings, striking out eight.
Game 4: West Virginia State 11, Jefferson 6
In the final game of the event, West Virginia State took an early 2-1 lead in the first inning, then added two more runs in the fourth on Aidan Paulsen's two-run homer. The Yellow Jackets broke the game open with four runs in the sixth, including a two-run double from Guenther and a two-run single from Overaitis. Jefferson scored two in the seventh, but West Virginia State answered with two in the bottom half, sealing the win.
West Virginia State collected 12 hits, with Connor Fizer hitting a solo home run and Paulsen adding a homer of his own. Starting pitcher Brian Lingenfelter earned the win, allowing four runs over six innings with three strikeouts. K. Baez took the loss for Jefferson, allowing four unearned runs in the sixth.
Up Next
West Virginia State will take the week off before welcoming Slippery Rock for a three game series at Cal Bailey Field in Institute, W.Va. beginning on Friday, March 7th.
