Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons returned to Mountain East Conference action on Friday afternoon, as they split a double header on the road against West Liberty.  

The Falcons (16-15, 9-5 MEC) have now won five out of their last seven games, while The Hilltoppers (19-10, 12-8 MEC) improved to 4-5 at home with the split.  Notre Dame opened with a 3-2 victory, before falling in the finale, 11-3. 

Game One
Danny Beaver started the first game of the day with an infield single, and made his way to second on Travis Smetana's sacrifice bunt. Ross Barker, who drove in seven runs in NDC's last game, drove in their first run of the day, on a RBI double to left, scoring Beaver in the process. 

Beaver got the party started for the Falcons again with a one out single in the top of the third, before Smetana was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Barker then grounded out to advance both base runners, before Keifer Quick came through with a clutch, two-out single shot right back up the middle to score Beaver and Smetana. 

The Hilltoppers scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, before Hank Beasore was called on to replace Josh Armbruster. Beasore allowed a two out base hit in the seventh inning, before inducing a game ending double play to score the save. 

Armbruster (5-2) scored the victory after tossing 5.1 innings, and allowed just a pair of runs on six hits, while Beasore (4) snagged the save, after tossing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. 

Beaver and Barker paced the NDC offense with two hits each. 

Game Two
Notre Dame was done in by a seven run fourth inning in the second game of the day. West Liberty opened with a pair of runs in the home half of the first inning to stage an early lead, before the Falcons struck for two in the third to tie, and added another in the third to take the lead. 

Barker's hot streak continued as he ripped another RBI double to left center to score Beaver, and Quick followed with his second run scoring hit of the day, with a RBI single back up the middle to plate Barker, tying the game at 2-2. 

TJ Lett then gave the Falcons their only lead of the game, as he smashed his third homer of the season, a solo shot in the top of the fourth inning, giving NDC a 3-2 lead. 

The Hilltoppers then scored seven times on only three hits, and capitalized on four Notre Dame errors to pull away in the bottom of the fourth inning. They added another in the fifth, and another in the seventh to pull away. 

Andrew Raponi (0-1) took the loss for the Falcons, after allowing four runs, only three earned on one hit in West Liberty's big fourth inning. 

Lett led the NDC offense with two hits in the contest. Barker drove in runs in both games, and has now knocked in nine runs in his last three contests. 

The Falcons and Hilltoppers will return to action on Sunday, April 10. The games have been moved to Consol Energy Park in Washington, Pa. The first pitch in game one is scheduled for 4 p.m.