WHEELING, W.Va. – The Fairmont State baseball team (10-30, 9-15 in Mountain East Conference play) split a doubleheader at Wheeling (23-17) on Monday (April 24) at J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex in Wheeling, W.Va.
 
Game One – Fairmont State 4, Wheeling 2
Noah Canterbury singled to right field with one out and moved to second on an error by the Wheeling pitcher. Alex Perez followed with a base hit to center and the Falcons had runners at the corners. Canterbury crossed home plate on a Cardinals' error and Fairmont State led 1-0 after two. Wheeling tied the game at one in the bottom of the third inning.
 
Brett Haskins singled to left field and scored Perez in the fourth inning to put the Falcons back in the lead. With two outs, Ryan Goff knocked in Isaac Miller and Haskins to make the score 4-1 in favor of the Falcons. Wheeling trimmed the deficeit to one run in the sixth inning. Ben Taylor recorded the final two outs of the sixth inning on a strikeout and a groundout and stranded a runner on the bases to keep the Falcons ahead, 4-2. Wheeling had the tying run on second base with two outs in the seventh. Taylor fanned his second batter of the day for the final out of the game and Fairmont State won, 4-2.
 
Gordon Swiger collected his first win in a Fighting Falcons uniform and pitched five innings while allowing just two earned runs and striking out four. Taylor earned his first save of the season, which was a five-out save, to preserve the Fairmont State win. Six different Falcons recorded hits. Goff and Haskins both led the RBI charge and totaled three RBIs combined.
 
Game Two – Wheeling 6, Fairmont State 1
The Cardinals posted four runs in the bottom of the first inning and seized the lead. Two Fairmont State batters reached base in the second inning, but Wheeling held the Falcons scoreless. The Cards went up 5-0 after a run in the second inning and scored an additional run in the third inning to go up 6-0.
 
The Falcons had two runners on in the fourth inning, but could not move the runners to the plate and the score remained at 6-0. Fairmont State scratched across a run in the sixth inning after Goff scored on a double play. Wheeling secured the final three outs in the seventh inning and won the series after taking game four, 6-1.
 
Canterbury registered multiple hits at the dish. Goff was on base twice with a single and a walk and stole a base for Fairmont State. Perez raked in one hit and one RBI. On the mound, Steven Ricketts threw two scoreless innings and allowed one hit and one strikeout.
 
Up Next
The Fairmont State baseball team returns home to begin the penultimate MEC series of the season. The Falcons will welcome West Liberty for a four-game set starting on Saturday (April 29) at 1 p.m. from the Bridge Sports Complex.