It was a sweep for WVU baseball, as the Mountaineers won game two of Saturday’s doubleheader by a score of 14-4 in eight innings to take all three games against the Utah Utes at Kendrick Family Ballpark. Read more WVU baseball wins via run rule yet again, sweeps Utah.
For the seventh time this season West Virginia (27-4, 7-3 Big 12) has won via run rule, as they were leading Utah (13-16, 2-11 Big 12) by ten runs in the last two innings, triggering a win. The other occasions were against Queens (twice), Kennesaw State, Towson, JMU, and against Pitt on Wednesday.
Recap
Like the first game, Utah took the lead with a second inning RBI single, and like the first game, the Mountaineers responded fast. Senior first baseman Grant Hussey got it started with a solo homer, before an errant throw by the Utes third baseman let sophomore right fielder Armani Guzman come home to score. Junior center fielder Skylar King put the exclamation mark on the inning, as his single to left field drove in two more runs to make it a 4-1 ballgame.
After both teams scored in the third inning, West Virginia blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth, as second baseman Spencer Barnett started the scoring with an RBI single before King tripled to right field to drive in two and put WVU up 8-2. An RBI double from Rinehart and RBI single from Hussey later, it was a five run inning and the Mountaineers led 10-2.
With both teams scoring in the fifth, senior shortstop Brodie Kresser then put WVU up 12-4 with a single to left field in the bottom of the seventh.
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Needing two runs to clinch via having a ten run lead in the last two innings, West Virginia did just that in the bottom of the eighth.=
Freshman catcher Gavin Kelly doubled to left center, and following two poor Utah throws, made it home for a little league home run. The clinching run came on a Barnett single, with freshman pinch hitter Alex Marot advancing home to win the game following an error.
The West Virginia offense got things done, going 17-36, hitting .472 on the day. King drove in four of the fourteen runs, going 2-4 with a homer. Rinehart also went 2-4, accumulating two RBI and a double. Kresser led the team in hits, going 3-5 with an RBI.
Pitching
It was a stellar pitching job by WVU, as Mountaineers staff gave up four runs over eight innings, giving up 10 hits but walking none and striking out nine. The zero walks are a season best for the WVU pitching staff. Sophomore righty Carson Estridge started the game, giving up three runs over 3.2 innings. The bullpen excelled, as Jack Kartsonas (3.1 innings, one run, three hits, no walks, six strikeouts) and Ben McDougal (one inning, no runs, no hits, no walks, two strikeouts) made light work of the Utah lineup. This was a season high in both innings pitched and strikeouts for Kartsonas, who lowered his season ERA to 3.12.
Utah was held to just two extra base hits, and all six of their pitchers gave up at least one run.
A win keeps WVU in second in the Big 12, but with the opportunity to move into a tie for first if Kansas State loses to Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. tomorrow, and possibly sole possession of first place if KSU loses game two of their doubleheader at 5 p.m.
