CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia State's baseball team split their season opener against Pitt-Johnstown on Friday afternoon at Gomart Ballpark, dropping game one 3-0, then rallying with a walk-off in a game two slugfest, 11-10. 

Post Game Records
WVSU: 1-1 (0-0 MEC)
UPJ: 1-1 (0-0 PSAC)

Game 1 - Pitt-Johnstown 3, WVSU 0
Both teams struggled for base runners in the game one pitcher's duel. Pitt-Johnstown got their first hit of the game in the top of the second, but left him stranded at third. State didn't get a base hit until the bottom of the fourth when Brodie Guenther belted a shot back up the middle. Guenther would be cut down at second trying to swipe second during the next at bat, however. Wagoner was plunked later in the inning and an Ethyn Barnitz blooper accounted for the entirety of State's offense in the game. Nine out of the next ten batters went down except for a UPJ error that allowed Guenther to board first with two away in the sixth inning. UPJ broke the deadlock in the top of the seventh after a blooper near the left field foul line tipped off the glove of Carter Rufner scored two and the third run scored on the next at bat. Hunter McSweeney took the loss with two innings of relief.

Game 2 - WVSU 11, Pitt-Johnstown 10
What game one lacked in offense, game two made up for as the two teams combined for 21 runs and 17 hits. Errors however would prove costly as nine of the 21 runs were unearned. UPJ immediately got off the schneid with a two run first inning off of a fielder's choice and an error. WVSU got those two back in the bottom of the second inning when a Michael Bittenger grounder went to the third baseman who tried to throw home to retire Ethan Spolarich but the catcher was unable to corral the throw and it caremed off the backstop and allowed both Spolarich and Cameron Peschl to score. Peschl made the most of his collegiate debut, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored, an RBI and a pair of walks.

The tie was short lived, however. UPJ's Tyler Danko hit a bases clearing triple in the next half-inning and later scored on a wild pitch, 5-2. WVSU continued their scoring streak, eventually scoring twice in four straight innings. After Aidan Paulsen drew a walk, a wild play that started with a wild throw by UPJ's pitcher on a pickoff attempt allowed Paulsen to reach third, but the throw from the first baseman to cut down Paulsen at third sailed wide, allowing him to score. Peschl's second hit of the game scored Karson Frye bringing WVSU to within a run, 5-4.

Angel Oquendo smacked a double down the left field line in the fourth inning to drive in Guenther and Oquendo scored on a wild pitch two batters later giving State their first lead of the game. UPJ answered big in the top half of the fifth after they scored three runs with the help of two walks and two errors. The Mountain Cats only had one hit in the inning, 8-6.

State answered in the bottom of the inning when Guenther hit a rocket into left-center field. The center fielder made a leap for the ball and initially caught it but dropped it. Guenther's hit allowed State to plate two more, tying the game for the third time at eight-all. 

An RBI base hit in the top of the sixth and an RBI triple in the seventh gave the Mountain Cats a two run lead heading into the final stanza. 

A Bittenger lead-off single chased the UPJ reliever. Guenther drew a walk and an Oquendo fielder's choice got some help from a UPJ throwing error loaded the bases for Garrett Wagoner who wore an 0-2 pitch, halving State's deficit. Paulsen then tied the game up after drawing a 3-1 walk, the 10th walk given up by Mountain Cat pitching.Two batters later, Spolarich sent a 1-0 pitch into the stratophere that landed safely in right field to walk off game two after Oquendo scored.

Bryce Eggleton earned his first collegiate victory in relief. Guenther went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk, and a run. Oquendo and Bittinger also had multi-hit games with two hits each. Bittinger scored once and Oquendo plated two runs. Eggleton and William Clark each fanned two and Caleb Nutter struck out three.

Up next
WVSU will play games three and four against Pitt-Johnstown at Gomart Ballpark starting at noon on Saturday, Feb. 14.