WISE - - Thursday's Mountain East Conference baseball doubleheader between the University of Charleston and UVa-Wise at Stallard Field pitted the top two teams in the conference's South Division standings. The first place Golden Eagles lined 16 hits in the opener en route to a 10-1 win before the Cavaliers bounced back with a 6-1 win in the night cap.
After dropping game one, UVa-Wise (20-19, 14-8 MEC) fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first of game two.
Charleston (27-13, 19-3 MEC) received a leadoff walk from Brian Arrington before Colby Johnson's single put two runners on with nobody out. Following a groundout that allowed both men to move to scoring position, Jack Brunetti singled in Arrington.
It would be the final run of the game for the Golden Eagles as UVa-Wise hurler Landon Faulkner put together his best start of the year.
Faulkner would work around a leadoff double in the second before retiring 12 consecutive hitters to keep the game at 1-0. Charleston would get an infield single to lead off the fifth before the right-hander would strand a pair of runners in the frame.
The hurler's offense would come to life with two outs in the fifth as Tristan Peccerelli lined an opposite field solo homer to tie the game. A hitter later, Tyler Blaum launched a mammoth homer over the left field wall to give the hosts their first lead of the day.
The Golden Eagles would have a chance to tie the game in the top of the sixth when Austin Hathaway lined a one-out double. After moving up 90 feet on a groundout, Hathaway stood just 90 feet from tying the contest. With Drew Hefner at the plate, Faulkner induced a pop up on the infield, playing third base Peccerelli raced across the diamond and caught the ball halfway up the first base line to record the final out of the frame.
Having already made two huge plays in the game, the best was yet to come for Peccerelli. The junior stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the home sixth and cranked the first grand slam of his Cavalier career over the right-centerfield wall to make it a 6-1 contest.
Faulkner returned to the hill and retired Charleston in order to record his second win of the year and his second complete game. The Kennesaw, Ga. product matched his career-high with nine strike outs as he scattered five hits and walked just two in the complete game effort.
Peccerelli entered the game in the fourth inning and finished 2-for-2 with two homers and five RBI, Blaum went 2-for-3 in the game as the Cavs tallied eight hits in the come from behind win.
Game one saw the Golden Eagles score multiple runs in each of the first four innings of game one to cruise to the 10-1 triumph. Colby Johnson and Austin Hathaway had three hits each for the visitors while Jack Brunetti knocked in three and Hayden Cartt and Drew Hefner both scored a pair of runs.
UVa-Wise had just six hits in the opener, Ethan Fletcher and Brett Yates had two hits each to lead the way for the Cavs.
The series concludes Monday with a doubleheader at Stallard Field beginning at 5 p.m.
