GLENVILLE, W. Va. – Urbana University (8-16, 4-6) split a pair of one-run baseball games at Glenville State during cross-divisional league play Friday afternoon.
In Game 1, UU’s Damario Brown launched a three-run homer in the fifth after the Pioneers had claimed a 2-0 lead in the previous half inning. That was all UU needed as starter Austin Mace tossed a two-hit gem with both GSC runs crossing on errors. The Pioneers came away with a 5-4 walk-off win in the nightcap.
Mace improved to 4-2 on the year after striking out eight batters and recorded his third complete game. The senior righty is limiting opposing hitters to a .249 batting average this season, while registering 44 punchouts in 43.1 innings pitched.
Center fielder Aaron Finlay continues to be unstoppable at the plate for the Blue Knights.
The senior led UU with six hits, including three doubles on the day. He raised his batting average to a team-high .444 on the year and reached base in every contest that he’s played in, an impressive 19-game streak. He leads the Blue Knights in six offensive categories.
Mickey Barea and Tim Feasel were solid contributors at the plate in Friday’s second game, as both recorded a career-high three hits.
In Game 1, the Pioneers pushed two runs across in the bottom of the fourth after a leadoff single and three UU errors. Fortunately for Mace, the Blue Knights responded in the next half and played solid down the stretch.
Brent West led off the fifth with a single, and with two outs, Barea reached on an infield error two batters later. Brown stepped up next and became the third Blue Knight to homer this season after depositing a long ball over the right-field fence.
The Pioneers put two runners on in the sixth, but Mace worked his way out of the jam. UU outhit Glenville 7-2 in the first game, but comitted four errors.
UU led 4-2 in the eighth inning of Game 2, but let the lead slip away after the Pioneers tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom half and then plated the winning run in the ninth.
UU starter Mitchell Lawson threw 7.1 innings but couldn’t escape trouble in the eighth. After recording an out, Lawson surrendered back-to-back doubles which led to the pair of GSC tying runs.
Reliever Adam Ramirez (1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) came on for Lawson and was charged with the hard-luck loss.
The Blue Knights had to overcome another 2-0 lead as the Pioneers scored once in each of the first two innings. UU got on the board with Finlay’s RBI single in the third, and then tied the game on Brown’s RBI base knock in the fifth.
Barea provided a clutch RBI single in the sixth to put UU ahead 3-2. UU extended the advantage to two after tacking on an unearned run in the eighth.
UU returns to its home field on Sunday for two more cross-divisional games against West Virginia Wesleyan. First pitch in the opening game is scheduled for 1 p.m.
