CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fairmont State University (10-9, 4-4) faced a tough doubleheader against the University of Charleston (7-18, 4-4) on Sunday, experiencing two narrow defeats with scores of 8-7 and 5-4.
Game 1: Charleston 8, Fairmont State 7
In the first game, Fairmont State opened the scoring in the second inning, as
Cameron Moore was hit by a pitch and advanced to second and third on a groundout sequence.
Gunner Riley walked and stole second, setting up
Connor Bailey, who singled to left field to bring home both Moore and Riley, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead through two innings.
Charleston responded in the third inning with a series of walks and a groundout, leading to Samuel Lemond's single to shortstop that brought in a run. Trent Dosenbach then tripled down the left field line, driving in two more runs, putting the Golden Eagles ahead 3-2 at the end of the third inning.
Charleston extended their lead in the fifth inning with four runs. Zachary Syvertson doubled, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on an Andrew Kobryn double. Additional singles and doubles from Charleston led to three more runs, pushing their lead to 7-2 after five innings.
The Falcons cut into the deficit in the sixth inning when Riley reached on an error and scored on a single by
Cam Cole, making it 7-3.
In a dramatic seventh inning, Fairmont State mounted a comeback.
Kris Sutton was hit by a pitch, and
Maddox Johnston walked, both advancing on a wild pitch. Bailey walked with the bases loaded to force in a run. A wild pitch allowed Johnston to score, followed by a two-RBI single from Cole, leveling the score at 7-7.
However, Charleston managed a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to regain the lead, securing an 8-7 victory.
Caden Goodwin pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits, including three doubles and one triple, while striking out two and walking two.
Anthony Dixon contributed two innings of relief, surrendering one earned run on one hit, with two walks.
Cameron Gonzalez made a brief appearance, recording one out on two pitches without allowing a hit or run.
Cam Cole recorded three RBIs on two hits, while Bailey also drove in three runs, achieving a perfect on-base performance with a hit and three walks. Riley scored three runs and stole a base.
Game 2: Charleston 5, Fairmont State 4
In the second game, Charleston capitalized on errors in the second inning to take an early lead. Ryan Comella singled and advanced to third on an error, eventually scoring on a fielder's choice. John Stansbury II then scored on an error, followed by Zachary Syvertson's RBI single and Damian Witty's RBI double, giving Charleston a 3-0 lead after two innings.
Fairmont State responded in the fourth inning when
Cameron Moore walked and scored on
Gunner Riley's RBI single.
Maddox Johnston also scored on
Drew Emrich's sacrifice fly, narrowing the deficit to 3-2. In the sixth, Fairmont State tied the game at 3-3. Moore singled and stole second, setting the stage for Emrich's two-RBI single that brought home Moore and Johnston, giving the Falcons a slim lead, 4-3.
However, Charleston reclaimed the lead in the bottom half as Samuel Lemond scored on a failed pickoff attempt, and Trent Dosenbach added another run with a sacrifice fly, bringing the score to 5-4. Charleston held on to win with a final score of 5-4 over the Falcons.
Dylan Travinski pitched 5 1/3 innings in the second game, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out two batters.
Cameron Gonzalez contributed by pitching 2/3 of an inning, striking out one and allowing one hit without surrendering any runs.
Moore scored two runs, collected a hit, and stole a base, while Emrich recorded three RBIs with two hits, including a sacrifice fly. Johnston contributed by scoring two runs and adding a hit and a walk.
Fairmont State hosts Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, March 24 for a mid-week non-conference game. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m.
