WISE - - West Virginia State completed a four-game sweep of UVa-Wise at Stallard Field Sunday with a doubleheader sweep of the host Cavaliers. The Yellow Jackets held on for a 6-5 win in the opener before lining 23 hits in a 16-7 game two win.
Game One
West Virginia State (20-10, 15-5 MEC) raced out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first, two of the runs came on a Philip Mandt two-run homer.
UVa-Wise (15-22, 5-15 MEC) would never recover but would have a chance to tie the game in the home seventh after Vinny Kuchenbuch's two-RBI single made it a 6-5 game.
Yellow Jackets' closer Curtis Johnson would end up striking out the side to record his seventh save of the season. One of the two runs the right-hander allowed was earned, it was the first earned run the senior has allowed this season.
Josh Falbo (5-2) picked up the win after scattering seven hits over six innings of work. Falbo struck out two and allowed three runs (two earned) in the win.
Josh Kiser added a homer for West Virginia State as part of five extra-base hits for the guests.
Steve Klaiber and Brett Yates had two hits each for UVa-Wise, Klaiber added two runs scored to his two-hit game.
Game Two
Ben Coffman got the Cavaliers off a 4-0 lead in game two when he lined a three-run homer over the left field fence in the home half of the first. Coffman's three-run homerun followed an RBI single by Klaiber.
The lead was short lived as the Yellow Jackets scored the next seven runs. West Virginia State scored three runs in the second, two coming on a two-run homer by Trenton Porter.
The Yellow Jackets took the lead for good when Jacob Frantz and Justin Graham hit back-to-back solo homeruns in the fourth inning.
Brandon Wright knocked in the visitors sixth run of the game before scoring when UVa-Wise attempted to throw out Frantz at second base when he overran the bag on an infield hit by Graham.
Klaiber got UVa-Wise back within a run at 7-6 in the home fifth with a two-RBI hit only to see the Jackets blow it open with four runs in the top of the sixth.
Eight different Yellow Jackets had multi-hit games, Graham led the club with four hits from the No. 9 spot in the batting order.
Klaiber had three of UVa-Wise's eight hits, the senior combined with Coffman to knock in six runs in the loss as each player had three RBIs.
Tyler Hall (4-1) tossed six innings to earn the win. Hall surrendered seven runs (six earned) and struck out three without allowing walk. The Yellow Jackets' bullpen did not allow a run as Ryan Baldwin, Cody Gainer and Will Ore all turned in a scoreless appearance.
Dylan Luttrell (0-1) took the loss after allowing four runs in two innings of relief.
The 23 hits allowed are the most by UVa-Wise this season.
Hank Banner's club returns to play Wednesday when Lincoln Memorial visits Stallard Field for a non-conference tilt.
