The University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä was the best baseball team in the Mountain East Conference during the regular season, and the Golden Eagles have continued their winning ways in the league's postseason tournament.
UC defeated Fairmont State 12-2 on Saturday afternoon at GoMart Ballpark, and now finds itself in the driver’s seat in the tournament.
The Golden Eagles (42-8) advance to the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m., and are the lone undefeated team left in the tournament. They will play West Virginia State, which will have to defeat UC twice on Sunday to win the title. The Yellow Jackets outlasted Fairmont State 15-14 later Saturday.
“There are some great teams in this conference, and we are very fortunate to be in the position we are,†UC coach Dean Peterson said. “West Virginia State certainly wants a piece of us, and I’m sure Fairmont would like some revenge.
“It’s a good spot to be in, after all we have gone through over the last 12 months to be in a position to win another MEC title. We will try and get ready against whoever we face.â€
The two teams played in less-than-ideal weather conditions early on with a constant rainstorm throughout the first three innings. UC handled the situation much better, jumping out to a 6-0 lead.
In the top of the first inning, UC broke through, manufacturing a run to take a 1-0 lead. Drew Klasener led off with a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and Carter Rust delivered an RBI triple.
The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 4-0 in the second inning, this time using the long ball. After a leadoff walk by former George Washington standout Brayden McCallister, Evan Ulrich hit a two-run homer. Eric Chartier added a solo home run for UC.
In the third inning, the Golden Eagles once again added to their lead by plating two runs on just one hit to take a 6-0 advantage. They were aided by three walks and a hit batsman by Fairmont State pitchers.
“We practice and do a lot of stuff in the rain,†Peterson said. “We don’t have the best indoor facilities, so if it’s raining, we are practicing. It’s just the way we do things, so we are very used to those types of elements.â€
Fairmont State finally was able to get on the scoreboard in the sixth inning, scoring two runs to cut the UC deficit to 6-2. After a pair of walks, Vince Sabatino delivered a double to plate both runs.
The Golden Eagles got a run back in the seventh inning to lead 7-2 when Chartier hit a solo home run, his second long ball of the game.
Chartier, the No. 9 hitter for UC, went a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate, including the two homers, a double and a single. He drove in four runs for the Golden Eagles.
“It was cool, especially being my last year,†Chartier said. “It was a good experience for me, but it’s all about the team win. This is big because whoever we play is going to have to take two from us. It puts us in a good position.â€
The two teams had to sit through a 1-hour, 7-minute lightning delay in the top of the ninth inning. Upon resumption, UC scored five more runs to close out the victory, with the big blow coming on a Klaserner three run homer.
For Fairmont State, it was a frustrating day, between the game result and the weather conditions, including the long lightning delay in the ninth inning. The Falcons (20-29) were then forced into an elimination game against West Virginia State shortly after the UC loss, which it dropped.
“The weather may have affected some things, but that’s not an excuse,†Fairmont State coach Matt Yurish said. “They did a good job jumping on us early, but I thought our guys hung in there until the last inning. It just didn’t go our way."
CHARLESTON 132 000 105 – 12 14 0
FAIRMONT STATE 000 002 000 – 2 8 0
Dzierwa, Breen (7), Godbold (8), Gay (9) and Ulrich. McClure, McDade (3), Taylor (6), George (8), Seymour (9) and Haskins. Hitting – UC: Klaserner HR, 3 RBIs; Rust 2-5, 3B, RBI; Ulrich 2-5, HR, 2 RBIs; Witty 2-4, 2 RBIs; Chartier 4-4, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBIs. Fair: Moore 2-4, 2B; Reep 3-3; Sabatino 2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs.
