INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- West Virginia State dropped a pair of close games in a Mountain East Conference doubleheader against Point Park on Sunday at Pullman Park, with both contests decided late as the Yellow Jackets battled but came up just short in each.

In Game 1, West Virginia State fell 4-3 despite outhitting Point Park 7-3 and pushing across a run in the seventh to bring the tying run to scoring position. Garrett Wagoner led the Jackets with two hits and two runs scored, while Carter Ruffner added a pair of hits and an RBI. WVSU struck first in the opening inning and later cut the deficit to one in the fourth before rallying again in the seventh, but Ethan Parker closed the door for Point Park. Karson Frye provided strong relief on the mound, tossing four innings and allowing just one run while striking out five.

In Game 2, the Yellow Jackets again showed resilience, taking a 4-3 lead with a three-run fourth inning highlighted by Ayden Youngblood's bases-clearing double. Nate Bittinger added an RBI knock, and Michael Bittinger collected two hits in the contest. However, Point Park answered with two runs in the sixth to reclaim a 5-4 lead. WVSU threatened late but couldn't find the equalizer, finishing with five hits and drawing four walks. Jared Nethercutt struck out eight over 5.1 innings in a solid outing, but the late surge from Point Park proved to be the difference.

Yellow Jackets will not be traveling to Bluefield on Wednesday, April 1. Stay tuned for updates about that game this week.

**UPDATE** Baseball is back to the original schedule with Bluefield State on Wednesday, April 1. Bad April Fools' joke... **UPDATE**