MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The WVU baseball team extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 6-4 victory over Cincinnati Wednesday night at Monongalia County Ballpark. Read more streaking Mountaineers blast past Bearcats below.
In the first installment of our new series, “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly,” we break down the Mountaineers’ latest win as they continue their climb in the national rankings.
The Good
The Mountaineers (33-4) continue to find ways to win, using both small ball—stealing home to defeat Marshall Tuesday night—and the long ball—bashing three mammoth home runs to secure last night’s victory.
Logan Sauve crushed a pitch from Kellen O’Connor well beyond the outfield fence, while Jace Rinehart added a solo shot and Grant Hussey contributed a two-run homer off Bearcats reliever Joel Pineiro to build a commanding 6-1 lead.
READ: THE HOT STREAK CONTINUES FOR WVU BASEBALL
WVU’s Carson Estridge, recently moved from his Sunday starter role after several inconsistent outings, has found success in the bullpen. He extinguished Cincinnati’s ninth-inning rally to earn the save after reliever Reese Bassinger faltered at approximately 70 pitches, allowing two earned runs following a triple by Cincinnati’s .400 hitter Kerry Cross.
The Bad
WVU junior starter Gavin Van Kempin displayed poor sportsmanship after being removed by first-year head coach Steve Sabins during the fifth inning. Van Kempin turned his back on his coach while waiting for his replacement to enter from the bullpen—an unfortunate display in front of 4,500 fans as the Big 12 leaders continue their impressive run.
The Ugly
The Bearcats have struggled throughout the series in Morgantown, stranding multiple runners on third base with less than two outs and committing critical errors at inopportune moments.
In the first inning with two outs and Kyle West on third base (following two wild pitches), Jace Rinehart popped up an 0-2 off-speed pitch toward first base. Cincinnati first baseman Tommy O’Connor lost the ball in Morgantown’s notorious swirling winds, and it bounced in fair territory. O’Connor inadvertently fielded the ball before it could roll foul, allowing West to score.
Cincinnati’s second-year head coach Jordan Bischel made a questionable decision when trailing 6-1 in the seventh. After placing the first two runners on base with no outs, Bischel called for a sacrifice bunt, surrendering a precious out while trailing by five runs. The strategy yielded just one run on a sacrifice fly, making the score 6-2.
The Mountaineers return to action Friday night as they continue their series against Cincinnati at 6:30 p.m.
Staff Report
But wait after the sac bunt in the 7th Cincy got a a sac Fly! Yawn. 🥱 Bunts to nowhere. In the words of my favorite manager of all time: Earl Weaver: “Bunting is for losers. I sit around and wait for a three run homer.” EPIC!