WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — Fairmont State University (18-24, 11-11) had a successful doubleheader against West Liberty University (12-27, 10-12) on Saturday, winning both games decisively. In the first game, Fairmont State secured a commanding 13-1 victory, hitting three home runs and drawing six walks. The second game saw them earn a 6-2 win, capitalizing on 10 hits and two doubles.
Game 1: Fairmont State 13, West Liberty 1
Fairmont State opened the first game with a commanding first inning.
Reilly Bubb walked, followed by another walk to
Cameron Moore. After two strikeouts,
Drew Emrich walked to load the bases, setting the stage for
Caleb Cottle's grand slam, which put Fairmont State ahead 4-0. West Liberty was held scoreless in its half of the inning, leaving the Falcons leading 4-0 after the first.
In the second inning,
Connor Bailey singled and advanced on a groundout before Moore hit a two-run homer, extending Fairmont State's lead to 6-0. The Hilltoppers failed to score again, keeping the score at 6-0 through two innings.
The fourth inning saw Fairmont State add four more runs.
Adam Loucks was hit by a pitch and Bubb singled, followed by another hit-by-pitch for Moore.
Bryont Green then hit a grand slam, bringing the score to 10-0. West Liberty managed to score their first run with an RBI single, ending the inning 10-1 in favor of Fairmont State.
Fairmont State added three runs in the fifth inning.
Gunner Riley walked and stole second, scoring on a single by Loucks. Moore and Bubb also contributed RBI singles, pushing the lead to 13-1. West Liberty did not score in their half, maintaining the lead at 13-1 after five innings. The Falcons held West Liberty scoreless for the remainder of the game, concluding with a decisive 13-1 victory.
Micah Canterbury delivered an impressive complete game performance for the Falcons, pitching 7 innings while allowing only 1 earned run on 4 hits. Canterbury struck out 8 batters and walked just 1, maintaining control with 72 strikes out of 104 pitches.
Cameron Moore recorded three runs and three RBIs, connecting for a home run and drawing two walks.
Bryont Green contributed with two hits and five RBIs, including a home run.
Caleb Cottle added to the offense with a home run and four RBIs, finishing with two hits.
Game 2: Fairmont State 6, West Liberty 2
In the second game, West Liberty initially took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Hunter White doubled to right field, driving in Austin Wittreich.
However, Fairmont State responded in the second inning, scoring three runs to take the lead.
TJ Hughes doubled to right field, followed by
Gunner Riley's walk and
Connor Bailey being hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cameron Moore then singled to right field, bringing in Hughes and Riley.
Bryont Green doubled to left field, allowing Bailey to score, giving the Falcons a 3-1 advantage.
West Liberty narrowed the gap in the third inning as Luke Foley scored on a Garrett Comer single to make it 3-2. The Falcons extended their lead in the sixth inning with consecutive singles by
Reilly Bubb and Moore, followed by a two-RBI single from Hughes, bringing the score to 5-2 after six innings.
In the seventh inning, Fairmont State added another run on a sacrifice fly by Bubb, scoring Bailey and increasing their lead to 6-2. The Hilltoppers were able to get runners on first and second but
Connor Tingler shut the hosts down to secure the win.
Connor Tingler delivered a complete game performance for the Falcons, pitching 7 innings and allowing 2 earned runs. Tingler struck out 5 batters while walking 5 and gave up 7 hits.
Cameron Moore led the Falcons offensively with three hits and two RBIs, while
TJ Hughes added two hits, including a double, and collected two RBIs.
Connor Bailey crossed the plate twice, enhancing the team's offensive momentum.
Fairmont State will wrap up its four-game stint against West Liberty on Sunday, April 26. First pitch for game one is slated for 1:00 p.m.
