WHEELING, W.Va .-- Wheeling (9-4, 5-1) defeated the West Virginia Wesleyan (0-2) baseball team after the Bobcats left the bases loaded in the final inning of game two to secure the doubleheader sweep on Saturday (March 27) at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex.
 
Game One (Wheeling 6, WVWC 3)
Kyle Riggleman got the opening day nod for the Bobcats. Riggleman made quick work of the Cardinals in the first frame setting them down in order with only nine pitches. Wheeling got to Riggleman in the bottom of the second and scratched two runs across. After Jacob Murray reached on a fielder's choice, Connor Watt sent a deep fly over Bryson Fluke's head for an RBI triple. Watt later scored on a Lucas Rawlins groundout.
 
The Cardinals tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the third. In the top of the fourth, WVWC scored its first run of the young season. Sam Ingram attempted to steal second base as an errant throw to the outfield from the Wheeling catcher allowed Ingram to advance to third and plate Eric Forbrick who reached on a single earlier in the inning to make it a 5-1 game.
 
After Wheeling added another run in the fifth, the Bobcats looked to respond in the top half of the sixth. After an Eric Forbrick walk and Nick Grotti single to center field, Ingram stepped up to the plate and delivered a sharp single to left field, scoring Forbrick for the second time. Geovani Sostre later brought Nick Grotti around on a fielder's choice to end the scoring at 6-3.
 
Logan Pillars (2-1) got the win for the Cardinals going six innings while only surrendering three runs on six hits striking out five. Albert Baez got his third save of the season. 
 
Nick Grotti finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored. Eric Forbrick finished 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in his first action since 2018 after missing the abbreviated 2019 season with an ankle injury.
 
Game Two (Wheeling 6, WVWC 3)
The story of game two was defensive miscues. Wheeling plated six runs over the first four innings, with five of them being unearned. The Bobcats used five pitchers in the back end of the doubleheader using the pitching by committee method to keep the Cardinal lineup off-balance.
 
Wesleyan provided the offense the rest of the way, managing one run in each of the last three innings. A Cole Shearer hit by pitch scored Forbrick in the fifth. In the sixth, Tanner McCallister scored on a wild pitch from the Wheeling reliever to make the game 6-2.
 
WVWC loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh after a walk and two singles. Geovani Sostre made the first out of the inning when the infield fly rule was called. Dylan Poplin generated a full-count walk to make the game 6-3 and that was all the Bobcats could manage as the next two batters popped up in the infield to end the game.
 
Cameron Madden (1-3)  got his first win of the season for the Cardinals after striking out 10 and only allowing three hits across four innings of work. Luis Dominguez collected two RBI's on a 1-2 day at the plate.
 
Anthony Napoleon (0-1) was dealt the loss after surrendering two unearned runs in his lone innings of work. Fluke and Forbrick both had two hits for the Bobcats.
 
Up Next
WVWC is back in action on Monday (March 29) when they head to West Liberty in what is scheduled to be two seven-inning contests. The first game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., with the second coming 30 minutes after the first game's conclusion.