Box Score CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The West Virginia University baseball team split a doubleheader with Charlotte on Saturday at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium, winning, 9-2, in Game 1, and falling, 5-4, in Game 2.
 
With the split, the Mountaineers (5-2) secured the series win over the 49ers. The squad also finished the month of February with a winning record for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
 
"We played some really good games down here," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "There was a lot of energy and excitement. So, coming out of here with a series win is pretty good.
 
"It's so hard to win on the road in college baseball. We've done it twice now in winning a series on the road, and we're going to be on the road plenty more. So, learning how to win on the road is something we'll need when the league starts."
 
Two scoreless frames began Game 1 in Charlotte, before senior outfielder Austin Davis smacked an RBI double to the gap in left center to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Two batters later, junior outfielder Victor Scott II hit a sacrifice fly to right to double the advantage.
 
Meanwhile, sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton struck out four and allowed just one hit in his first three innings of work. The 49ers (3-3) got on the board in the fourth, though, as Charlotte cut it to 2-1 with a solo home run.
 
But the Mountaineers got the run back in the top of the fifth. After redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker walked, he stole second and third, then scored on an infield ground ball.
 
From there, WVU blew it open with a four-run sixth inning to make it 7-1. The visitors scored on a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk, before Davis collected two more RBI with a base hit to right.
 
The Orlando, Florida, native finished 2-for-5 with four RBI in Game 1. He also stole a base and scored a run.
 
Hampton logged 5.2 innings on the mound, allowing just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. The De Pere, Wisconsin, native turned it over to senior right-hander Zach Ottinger, who also was effective, retiring the first five batters he faced in 2.0 innings of relief work.
 
In the ninth, WVU scored two more to bump its lead to 9-2. First, Scott II recorded an RBI double, while sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook singled to left to score another run.
 
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Strechay retired the 49ers in order in the bottom of the ninth to finish the job.
 
Along with Davis, Scott II finished with a pair of RBI, while redshirt junior catcher/infielder Dayne Leonard had a 2-for-4 afternoon at the plate.
 
Hampton earned the win, his second of the year, while Charlotte's Cameron Hansen took the loss.
 
Later, the two teams traded a run in the first inning of Game 2, before WVU took a 2-1 lead in the third with Scott II's sacrifice fly to right field. It stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth, when Charlotte scored four runs to take control, 5-2.
 
Freshman right-hander Chris Sleeper totaled 4.0 innings in his second career start, allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout in a no decision. Following his exit, redshirt junior right-hander Noah Short got out of a two-on, no-out jam unharmed in the bottom of the fifth. However, the 49ers got to the Mountaineer bullpen an inning later.
 
WVU chipped into the deficit in the top of the seventh with Tucker's RBI groundout. An inning later, the Mountaineers got within one of the lead when Holbrook hit an RBI double off the wall in right field to make it 5-4.
 
In the ninth, West Virginia was able to get runners to second and third but couldn't drive them in. Evan Michelson earned the win for the 49ers, while fifth-year senior righty Chase Smith took the loss.
 
Of note, fifth-year senior right-hander Trey Braithwaite didn't allow a hit and struck out three batters in the eighth and ninth innings to keep the Mountaineers within striking distance.
 
Freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt paced the club in Game 2, finishing 2-for-5 with a run scored.
 
Next up, the Mountaineers return to Morgantown for their home opener on Tuesday, March 1, against Canisius. First pitch at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark is set for 3 p.m. ET.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.