BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (May 3) – Despite limiting the Bobcats to three hits, the Tigers fell to West Virginia Wesleyan 2-1 Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action. The second game of the scheduled twinbill was cancelled due to rain.
The Salem International University baseball team falls to 6-37 overall, while the Bobcats improved to 23-20 on the season.
West Virginia Wesleyan got on the board with a run in the first inning, but a RBI groundout in the second inning by freshman
Colten Boudreau (St. Clements, Manitoba/Selkirk) evened the game up at one apiece.
The Tigers had runners at second and third in both the fourth and fifth innings, but did not push across the go-ahead run on either opportunity. The Bobcats manufactured the eventual game-winning run in the fifth inning with the help of a single, a steal of second base, a wild pitch and a passed ball to take the lead.
Salem International once again advanced a runner into scoring position in the sixth inning, with Tigers at first and third with one out. West Virginia Wesleyan worked around the jam once again by retiring the next two batters to end the inning, before finishing off the Tigers in the seventh.
Sophomore
Kevin Ortiz (Orlando, Fla./Cypress Creek) was tagged with the loss, despite a solid outing on the bump. Ortiz (0-5) limited the Bobcats to two runs (one earned) on just three hits with two strikeouts over 5.1 innings of work.
Junior first baseman
Talon Kunkel (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Centennial Collegiate) and senior right fielder
Anthony Bariso (Tarpon Springs, Fla./Tarpon Springs) each tallied two hits in the loss, while junior second baseman
Trent Dalton (Logan, W.Va./Logan) finished with a hit and two walks in his three plate appearances.
Salem International totaled eight left on base in the contest.
The Tigers head into the final weekend of the season with an opportunity to secure the final spot in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament. Salem International must defeat Ohio Valley in all four games in order to clinch a postseason berth. The series starts on Friday, May 6 with game one set for noon.
