Published: May 04, 2008 10:32 pm            

West Virginia State takes WVIAC crown

The West Virginia State University baseball team scored at least one run in all nine innings to come away from Point Stadium with a 14-2 victory in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title game against Alderson-Broaddus.

It was the Yellow Jackets’ seventh WVIAC championship in 10 years and their 16th crown overall.

“This one’s the sweetest of all,” West Virginia State coach Cal Bailey said after the win. “We started off this season with one guy returning. We didn’t know who was going to play where. We had injuries, we had sickness, we had all kinds of things going on with the team. Somehow, someway we pulled it together. Sometimes you’re the hammer and sometimes you’re the nail. It’s just been one heck of a year for us. I’m really proud of these boys.”

West Virginia State (36-12), which lost its first game in the tournament, pounded out 21 hits, including 10 extra base hits, and played errorless ball against the Battlers.

“Luckily, we’ve been on a heck of a streak,” Bailey said. “We’ve scored in double digits in I don’t know how many games here the last 20 to 25 games. Everybody stayed on the plan pretty much.”

Freshman C.J. Meadows started the game for the Institute, W.Va., squad. Junior Josh Kuyendall relieved Meadows in the fifth and got the win.

“Our freshman kid who started the game, everything was going fine, he got the big lead and was trying to protect it and then it was like he had bees in his pants and was trying to get it over with,” Bailey said. “Then the lefty came in and it was just enough of a different look.”

Junior left fielder J.D. Broderick was 4-for-4, scoring three runs and driving in two while Chad Chambers was 4-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

“This is my first year here and winning this is a big thing,” Broderick said. “I’m about to cry. It’s a great feeling. We’ve all been working real hard.”

The Battlers (29-17-1) had just four hits with Alan Baumann hitting a double, the only multiple-base hit for the team. Six Alderson-Broaddus pitchers were on the mound with James Mason taking the loss.

“They played in all aspects of the game a little better than we did,” Alderson-Broaddus coach Milan Rasic said about the Jackets. “Their pitchers resolved our at bats relatively quickly. Unfortunately for us we couldn’t pitch ourselves out of some key spots with runners in scoring position.”

In earlier games played Sunday:

n Alderson-Broaddus 10, West Virginia Wesleyan College 3: In the continuation of a game suspended Saturday night when the lights went out at Point Stadium, the Battlers earned a berth in the championship game, eliminating the Bobcats.

Grant Koga went 3-for-4, including a pair of home runs, scored three runs and drove in two for Alderson-Broaddus.

Dustin Kolb and Matt Burgess were both 3-for-5 for West Virginia Wesleyan.

n West Virginia State 10, West Virginia Wesleyan 1: The Yellow Jackets scored six runs in the fifth inning against the Bobcats and went on to earn a shot at the title.

Joshua Bower was 4-for-5, scored three runs and drove in two for the Jackets while Shane Long pitched seven innings allowing just two hits, walking five and striking out five.

Will Blankenship scored the Bobcats only run.

        

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