Box Score
BECKLEY, W.Va. -- Playing their opening game of the
2016 Mountain East Conference Tournament, the third-seeded Falcons rolled to a 22-4 victory over No. 4 seed Glenville State on Thursday night at Linda K. Epling Stadium.
Julio Rosales went 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored while
Travis Smetana went 3-for-4 with one RBI and three runs scored for the Falcons. Batting in the cleanup spot,
Ross Barker went 3-for-6 with four RBI, three runs scored and one stolen base.
As a team, the Falcons hit 13-21 with runners in scoring position.
Josh Armbruster took the mound for the Falcons and allowed three early runs before settling in. Armbruster bounced back to pitch scoreless frames in both the second and third innings, striking out three in the process.
NDC's offense was slow to wake, and the Falcons trailed 3-0 going into the fourth inning.
However, Armbruster continued to deal for NDC, forcing three quick ground outs in the fourth inning. In the fifth, the sophomore right-hander tossed another scoreless frame, keeping the NDC offense within striking distance.
And then the Falcons struck.
Rosales led off the bottom of the fifth with a single up the middle, and
Hank Beasore doubled to put two runners in scoring position. A wild pitch scored Rosales from third, puttin the Falcons on the scoreboard, 3-1.
Austin Barnhart walked and Smetana singled to right field, scoring Beasore and keeping the rally going for the Falcons.
Trailing 3-2 with runners on first and second,
Danny Beaver executed a bunt to advance both runners into scoring position with just one out in the inning.
TJ Lett then executed by ripping a double to left-center, scoring both runners and giving the Falcons a 4-3 lead.
A wild pitch advanced Lett to third, and a single from
Ross Barker scored Lett to give NDC a 5-3 lead. The Falcons scored seven runs total in the fifth, taking a 7-3 lead going into the sixth.
While the 7-3 lead would prove to be more than enough, the Falcons' offense also proved to be relentless. After scoring seven runs in the fifth, the Falcons scored nine runs in the sixth, keyed by three straight RBI hits from
Keifer Quick,
Nick Ely and Rosales. At the end of six, NDC led 16-3.
In the eighth inning, the Falcons tacked on six more runs, all scoring with two outs in the inning, to open the floodgates at a 22-4 lead.
Chris Murphy closed it out in the ninth, and the Falcons went on to win their opening MEC Tournament game by an 18-run margin.
The Falcons will now play No. 2 seed West Virginia State on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Linda K. Epling Stadium.
