Recap

The weekend started in tough fashion for West Virginia Wesleyan Baseball on Friday, when Senior C/OF Eric Forbrick went down with an injury before the first game was even played. The ensuing results of the four-game series did not go as planned either, as the Bobcats dropped all four contests against PSAC-member Pitt-Johnstown.

The final scores were as follows:
Game 1: UPJ 10-7 WVWC
Game 2: UPJ 13-10 WVWC
Game 3: UPJ 3-1 WVWC
Game 4: UPJ 9-4 WVWC

In Game One, Julio Medina took the loss giving up five earned over his three innings of work. He struggled with command hitting three batters, and gave up six hits before being relieved by Anthony Napoleon and Kyle Riggleman. In game two, it was the relief pitching that caused Wesleyan trouble, as Pitt-Johnstown scored twelve of their thirteen runs over the final four innings. Despite the pitching performances, day one saw solid hitting performances from a handful of Bobcats. Nick Grotti and Todd Burner both sent one over the wall during the ten run effort in Game Two, and the DH spot provided offense in the form of Kolby Wolf and Dylan Gump, who combined to score four runs on the day.

The Bobcats got a strong collective performance on the mound from Parker Tallman, Jake Hakey, and Robbie Baker in Game Three. The trio combined to give up only two earned runs on five hits over six innings in the 3-1 defeat. Control issues reared their head for Griffin Roe in Game Four, and the bullpen did not provide enough relief to keep that game within reach. On the offensive side, Nick Grotti and Todd Burner sparked the offense again with five combined hits on the day.

Impact Performers

Nick Grotti - .455 (5-11) / 1 HR / 4 RBI
Todd Burner - .400 (4-10) / 1 HR / 5 RBI
Bryson Fluke - .444 (4-9) / 3 R
Mitchell Courtney - 3.0 IP / 1 ER / 2 K

What's Next

The team is back in Buckhannon for the next three weeks preparing for the Spring Break Trip to Florida beginning on February 29th. Hopefully the weather will cooperate to allow practices outside, as that would create more opportunities for live-game simulation. The RussMatt Tournament will begin on the 29th with a doubleheader against Cedarville in Winter Haven, FL.