INSTITUTE, W.Va. - Point Park baseball fell to West Virginia State twice on Sunday by scores of 11-6 and 8-5.
 
Despite a pair of losses, Point Park remains the top team in the North Division of the MEC and holds the most wins in the conference, both overall (19-8) and in conference play (9-3).
 
Game 1
 
In game one, the Pioneers started off strong with immediate run support. With one out, Chris Williams was hit by a pitch and then recorded his MEC-leading 15th steal of the season, advancing to second. Batting in the three-hole, Jared Campbell drew his 15th walk of the year, setting up cleanup hitter Isaac Santana for a three-run home run, launched deep to right field at 345 feet, giving the Pioneers an early 3-0 lead.
 
Brandon Clifford made his fifth start of the season with a 2-0 record and a 4.95 ERA. However, Clifford was pulled early as West Virginia State tied the game with an RBI single and a two-run home run.
 
The Yellow Jackets continued to pile on runs with four more in the bottom frame of the second inning, scoring seven unanswered runs to make it 7-3.
 
The Pioneers began to chip away as Trevor Jones picked up an RBI single (his eighth of the year) with two outs and runners on first and second. Next, (Jared) Campbell drew his second walk of the day, and Joseph Pilewski worked a walk on a 3-2 count.

Campbell continues to get on base at an impressive rate, boasting a MEC-leading .586 on-base percentage.
 
A scoreless fourth kept the Pioneers in the game with a 7-4 deficit. In the fifth, (Jared) Campbell got on base with a single, followed by a Santana walk. The Pioneers pulled off a double steal to advance the runners to second and third. On the season, the Pioneers are 60-for-65 in stolen base attempts, with their 60 steals ranking second in the MEC.

After the double steal, Pilewski drove in one run with a groundout to short, making it 7-5 in the middle of the fifth.
 
In the sixth, the Pioneers were down by three runs after the Yellow Jackets added a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth.

In the sixth, Omar Morillo singled to left field, driving in leadoff Luis Gonzalez, who had started the inning with a single, making it 8-6.
 
Despite the Pioneers' comeback attempt, the Yellow Jackets added three more runs in the sixth inning, putting the game out of reach at 11-6 with just one inning to play.

Ramon Rodriguez took the loss after pitching four and a third innings and allowing four earned runs. His record now stands at 2-2 on the season.
 
Game 2
 
In game two, Orlando Leon would make his fifth start of the season with a 4-0 record. Heading into the matchup, Leon pitched his first complete game of the season against Glenville State with a season high seven strikeouts en route to a 2-1 victory.
 
The game would start with a scoreless first although, Leon would come out for sophmore Ethan Parker to start of the second inning.

The game remained scorelsss until the top of the third inning.
 
Pilewski started the inning with a single down the left-field line. Edward Mateo followed with a walk, and with one out, Williams launched his second home run of the season to right field, putting the Pioneers up 3-0. (Jared) Campbell immediately followed with a double as he continued to showcase his power. He currently leads the MEC with a .951 slugging percentage.

Isaac Santana then crushed his second home run of the doubleheader, a 392-foot shot to deep right field, extending the lead to 5-0 in the middle of the third.
 
However, West Virginia State went on to score eight unanswered runs, and the Pioneers were unable to replicate their third-inning performance, ultimately falling 8-5. The Pioneers finished the game with six hits, two home runs, and allowed seven earned runs with two errors.

Ethan Parker took the loss after entering in the second inning, pitching four innings and allowing six earned runs, bringing his record to 3-2 on the year.
 
Point Park will return to action on Saturday, April 5, through Sunday, April 6, with a four-game series in Morgantown, West Virginia, against Fairmont State.
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