BECKLEY, W.Va. — WVU Tech baseball captured the weekend River States Conference series over Kentucky Christian, 2-1, finishing the set with a 9-7 victory Saturday afternoon at Linda K. Epling Stadium. The Golden Bears built an early lead and answered every Kentucky Christian push to secure the series-clinching win.
With the victory, WVU Tech improves to 6-12 overall and 2-4 in River States Conference play.
WVU Tech 9, Kentucky Christian 7
The Golden Bears struck quickly in the opening frame. Angel Leiva singled to begin the rally and later scored on a passed ball, while Jake Tompkins also crossed the plate on another passed ball to make it 2-0. Tyler Mackey then delivered the big swing of the inning, lining a two-run single to center that pushed WVU Tech ahead 4-0 after one.
Kentucky Christian chipped away over the next several innings, eventually tying the game at 4-4 in the seventh.
WVU Tech responded immediately in the bottom half. JJ Polvinale reached and later scored on Tompkins' RBI single. Gabe Templeton followed with an RBI single of his own, and Nolan Copeland added another run-scoring hit to give the Golden Bears a 7-4 advantage.
The Knights again battled back in the eighth, trimming the deficit to one run, but WVU Tech delivered another clutch answer in the bottom of the inning. Mackey walked and moved into scoring position before Maddex Sims ripped an RBI triple to right field. Angel Leiva followed with an RBI double to score Sims and stretch the lead to 9-6.
Kentucky Christian added one run in the ninth, but Braedan Pakkala closed out the game to secure the Golden Bear victory.
Marco Viteri Moran gave WVU Tech a strong start on the mound, working six innings with six strikeouts while allowing just two runs, one earned. Jonas Franti earned the win in relief as the Golden Bear bullpen combined to finish the contest.
Golden Bear Highlights
Season Leaders
Through 18 games, Angel Leiva leads the Golden Bears with a .327 batting average, while Jake Tompkins paces the offense with 23 RBIs and two home runs. Maddex Sims shares the team lead in hits with 17 and has produced five doubles and two triples.
On the mound, Cameron Lynch leads WVU Tech with 23 strikeouts in 24 innings, while Jonas Franti has been strong out of the bullpen with 13 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA across nine innings pitched.
What's Next
WVU Tech returns to action Tuesday when the Golden Bears face West Virginia Wesleyan at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston at 3:00 p.m..
