The Cougars were no match for WVU in Houston. The Mountaineers swept them to improve to 30-4 on the season and 10-3 in the conference. That cements them first in the Big 12, with a half-game lead over TCU. They are rolling right now with 10 victories in a row and look to improve that to 11 on Tuesday against Marshall in Huntington. Read more: WVU Baseball Sweeps Houston and Extends Streak to 10 in a Row.
Recap: WVU Baseball Sweeps Houston and Extends Streak to 10 in a Row
Kyle West got things started early for the Mountaineers. He hit a two-run home run to left field, batting the clean-up spot. Jack Kartsonas got three consecutive ground outs to start his dominant day. He finished the second inning, not allowing a hit, with one strikeout. WVU got one more run in the third inning. Skylar White grounded into a fielder’s choice but got an RBI as West scored from third.
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The Mountaineers kept the momentum in the fourth inning. Logan Sauve hit a two-run home run to left field to give the Mountaineers a 5-0 lead. Kartsonas kept his shutout going into the seventh. He threw seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits, and had five strikeouts and two walks. It was a dominant day for Kartsonas, who faced 26 batters and threw 97 pitches.
WVU did not score another run until the eighth inning. Chase Swain reached on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Brodie Kresser. He then stole third and set himself up to score on a wild pitch. This is another example of aggressive baserunning leading to runs for WVU. Gavin Kelly tripled following the run and stole home in impressive fashion. Logan Sauve hit his second home run of the game later in the inning to make it 9-0. It was his second career multi-home run game.
The Cougars tacked on their first run of the game in the eighth inning. They got three base runners due to a hit by pitch and two walks. Kenneth Jimenez recorded an RBI on a fielder’s choice to shortstop to make it 9-1.
Gavin Kelly singled to right center in the ninth inning and picked up two RBIs. Houston tried to overcome the 11-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, but it was too much. Three walks loaded the bases for the Cougars with two outs. Carsten Sabathia walked to score a run. Brandon Bishop followed that with a two-run single to give the Cougars a seven-run deficit. WVU won 11-4 on Jack Kartsonas’ seven shutout innings.
Takeaways
Kartsonas picked up his third win of the season (3-1) and was dominant on the mound. He did not produce a lot of strikeouts, but he was efficient and forced a lot of outs in seven innings. It was another quality start for the Mountaineers, who are racking them up recently. The less they have to use their bullpen, the more ready they will be for important games down the stretch.
Logan Sauve’s multi-home run game shows his value to this lineup. Kyle West also displayed his power with a home run, and the two combined for six RBIs from the three and four spot in the lineup.
