Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
INSTITUTE, W. Va. -- Notre Dame garnered a split in a season-opening doubleheader at West Virginia State on Saturday.

[Game-1 Box | Game-2 Box]

The Falcons (1-1) took the opener, 8-4, and then the Yellow Jackets (1-1) took the nightcap by a final of 10-4.

Saturday's action in West Virginia became NDC's season opener after a four-game series at Pikeville (Ky.) was nixed due to inclement weather last weekend.  With Saturday's split, the eighth season of Falcon Baseball is underway; the program was launched in 2005.  The twin bill at Cal Bailey Field also marked West Virginia State's season opener.

A pair of juniors -- catcher Jesse Carriere and first baseman Taylor Neville -- got off to solid starts with the bat.  Carriere had three hits on the day, while Neville collected five RBIs. 

Simon Davis and two relievers allowed just three runs in game one.  In the second game, NDC was undone by four errors and a nine-run WVSU blitz over the second and third innings.

Game One
NDC and WVSU were knotted in a scoreless tie until the Falcons broke through for six runs in their half of the fifth inning.  Five Notre Dame hits and a pair of WVSU errors led to the half-dozen runs.  All six runs were scored against Yellow Jackets reliever Allen Rimer, who spelled starter Chase Pickering after Pickering breezed through three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six.

Notre Dame starter Simon Davis -- who had a 1.86 ERA a year ago -- yielded four runs (three earned) in the bottom of the fifth, but junior right-hander Matt Kastelic came on to pitch scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh to earn a save. Davis walked two and fanned as many in 4-1/3 innings of work in his 2012 debut.  He induced eight groundball outs in the outing.

The Falcons plated a pair of insurance runs in the seventh-and-final inning on a Jesse Carriere double and singles by Shane DeFranco and Jesse Bartle.  Carriere finished the opener 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

Game Two
NDC's offense was hamstrung by strong pitching throughout the second game.  The host Yellow Jackets scored four runs in the second and five in the third to open up a commanding 9-0 lead.  Outfielder Eric Temple hit a pair of home runs en route to a 6-RBI game in the nightcap.  Temple went a combined 4-for-6 in the two games.

Notre Dame's starter in game two was Dan Poskocil.  The junior right-hander was tagged for seven runs (six earned) in 2-1/3 innings.  Four Falcon relievers chipped in to pitch the balance of the game.

The Falcons only managed four base hits in the loss.  All four -- including doubles from Bryan Blondeaux and Taylor Neville -- came off the bats of newcomers.

The home nine out-hit NDC, 9-4, in the second game, and the Falcon defense had a rough game, committing four errors.  Four Yellow Jacket hurlers combined to collect nine strikeouts in the game.

Saturday's opener marked the first official game in the head coaching career of Interim Head Coach Len Barker. 

The Falcons are slated to play a noon doubleheader against the Yellow Jackets on Sunday.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

MEET THE YELLOW JACKETS: West Virginia State University was founded in 1891 and is located in Institute, W. Va., a suburb of Charleston.  The University has a present-day enrollment of 5,000 students. … In athletics, WVSU is affiliated as an NCAA-II institution and as a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  In baseball, the Yellow Jackets have been a perennial powerhouse over the last decade.  Since 2004, WVSU has averaged 33.3 wins per season while sporting a .736 winning percentage.  A year ago (2011), the Yellow Jackets went 25-18 (.581). … Saturday's twin bill in Institute marked the first meeting between NDC and WVSU.

FOUR BY FOUR: Notre Dame is now 4-4 all-time in its eight season openers.  The Falcons lost their opener in each of the program's first four years, and they've won each of the last four. … Falcon hurlers have combined to allow just 12 runs over the program's last four season-opening games.

FLEDGLING FALCONS: Notre Dame's opening day roster included 13 returning lettermen, five returning position-player starters and three returning starting pitchers from last year's squad which went 23-21 (.523).  Nine rosterees were newcomers. … In game one, three of NDC's 10 starters were newcomers (one freshmen, two transfers).  Ten newcomers saw action in the two games combined.

FAB FEB.:  Prior to the loss in the nightcap, Notre Dame had been 11-3 in its previous 14 February games, dating back to 2009. ... Jesse Carriere's three-hit game in the opener marked the third such game of his career. ... Matt Kastelic's save in game one marked the second of his career. ... Jesse Bartle had three RBIs in the opener, marking the fourth three-RBI game of his career and the first since 2010.