GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Facing the host of the Glenville State Tournament in the first game of their 2019 season, the Mansfield Mountaineers held on for a 3-2 win at the Sue Morris Sports Complex in Glenville, West Virginia on Friday evening.
 
Senior Evan McAndrew was the starting pitcher and threw five solid innings.  
 
Glenville (0-6) struck first for a run in the fourth inning, and were still threatening with a runner on second base and two out. Chase Swain dragged a single through the second base hole, but Jake Haas came up with it in right field and threw a strike to Camren Ney at the plate, just in time to nab the runner trying to score.
 
The Mounties (1-0) came to bat and answered with two runs in the fifth to take the lead.  Brittain Shander and Koty Fitzgerald singled back-to-back before a wild pitch during Carlos Espinosa's at bat allowed them both to advance a bag. Glenville's backstop tried to make a throw, but airmailed it into the outfield, allowing Shander to score and tie the game.  Glenville's starter Andrue Hughart attempted to pick Fitzgerald off at third base.  Hugart's throw got by his thirdbaseman, allowing the Mountaineers to score the go-ahead run.
 
 
McAndrew struck out two batters in the bottom half of the inning, finishing his night with eight strikeouts while allowing just three hits.
 
Dom Lopez, Tyler Guidos, and Brady Mengel each worked walks to start the sixth inning for Mansfield, loading the bases with nobody out.  Haas did a job by driving a run in to extend the lead.
 
Timmy Saar was next on the bump for the Mounties. He entered the game with a 3-1 lead and went a full inning.
 
Bryce Zaparzynski followed Saar, taking the mound in the seventh inning. The Pioneers threatened by loading the bases, but the senior got Glenville's shortstop to strikeout to end the inning.  Zaparzynski pitched a perfect eighth inning and took the mound in the ninth.
 
A leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt, and then another walk meant that the Pioneers' go-ahead run was on base, so Head Coach Harry Hillson looked to Hunter DePrimo to close it out. With two outs remaining in the one-run ballgame, DePrimo struck out two batters to earn the save, closing out the Mounties' first win of the season in their first game of 2019.
 
Freshman Koty Fitzgerald (2-for-4, run), and Brittain Shander (1-for-3, BB, run), notched the first hits, and scored the first runs of their collegiate careers. Dom Lopez walked three times and scored a run in his MU debut. Junior Tyler Guidos and sophomore Carlos Espinosa both drew two walks and went 1-for-3.
 
Both teams left over 10 runners on base, but it was the fateful error in the fourth inning that proved to be the difference in the game for Glenville. Mansfield took advantage of the mistake and closed out a 3-2 victory in the first game of the season.
The Mountaineers return to Sue Morris Complex early Saturday morning to face Concord at 9:30 a.m.