URBANA, Ohio – Fairmont State blasted four home runs and five doubles to pick up a 13-7 victory in game one of Monday's Mountain East Conference doubleheader at Blue Knight Field in Urbana. The Blue Knights responded in game two to earn an 8-1 victory as the teams split the first two games of the four-game series.
With the split, Fairmont State moves to 20-18 overall and 11-11 in Mountain East Conference play. Urbana goes to 9-27 overall and 4-18 in the league.
Game 1
The Falcons grabbed an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning following a two-run home run by Joe LaRocca and an RBI double by
E.J. Trickett.
Brooks Carr push Fairmont's advantage to 5-0 in the top of the third after a two-run shot over the left field fence to empty the bases. Urbana plated three runs in the bottom of the third to cut the Falcons' lead to just two (5-3) following three innings of play.
Tyler Skidmore hit Fairmont's third home run of the game in the top of the fifth, pushing Fairmont's lead out to 6-3. However, Urbana's Mickey Losey homered to left center in the bottom of the fifth to answer Skidmore's bomb.
Fairmont State took complete control of the game in the top of the sixth after scoring seven runs to make the Falcons' lead 13-4 with just six out remaining for the Blue Knights.
Tyler Hill started the scoring for the Falcons in the sixth, hitting an RBI double to right field that brought home Carr for the seventh Fairmont State run of the game. Hill later scored on a throwing error by the catcher to making Fairmont's advantage 8-4.
With the bases loaded later in the inning,
Jordan Sanders hit a two RBI double to right field to score
Greg Yaksich and Trickett from second and third. LaRocca followed up the double by hitting his second home run of the day to score three more runs and give the Falcons a commanding 13-4 advantage.
Urbana's Tyler Dellerman hit a three-run home run in the seventh to make the final score 13-7 in favor of the Falcons.
The Fairmont State offense totaled 11 hits, including five doubles and four home runs in the win. Urbana also produced some big hits in the setback, totaling two home runs, a triple, and a double.
Four Falcons recorded multiple hits in the game one victory, including two apiece from Skidmore, LaRocca, Carr and Hill.
Michael Stout improved to 7-1 with the victory on the hill for the Falcons. Stout allowed just three earned runs on seven hits and struck out six in the solid outing for the Falcons.
Game 2
After scoring 13 runs on 11 hits in game one of the doubleheader, the Fairmont State bats went cold in game two as Urbana rolled to an 8-1 win to earn the split on Monday afternoon. The Falcons managed just one run on five hits in the second game of the day, including just one extra-base hit by Hill.
Fairmont's only run of the game came on a groundout by Trickett that allowed
Nick Mann to score from third during the fourth inning.
In comparison, Urbana scored eight runs on 12 hits, including six doubles by the Blue Knights.
Fairmont State and Urbana will wrap up the final two games of the series on Tuesday afternoon at Blue Knight Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
