Steve Sabins has the Mountaineers rolling with 14 consecutive victories. They swept Cincinnati this weekend and moved to 34-4. The bats came alive, with two big innings for an impressive win. They are 13-3 in conference and have extended their lead over TCU. WVU plays Penn State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before traveling to Orlando to take on UCF on Friday. Read more: WVU completes the sweep of Cincinnati, moves to 34-4.
Recap: WVU Completes the Sweep of Cincinnati, Moves to 34-4
The game started slowly for both teams. Jack Kartsonas was excellent for the Mountaineers in the first two innings. He only allowed one baserunner in that span. Carson Marsh also was excelled on the mound for the Bearcats through the early part of this game. His team gave him one run in the third inning. Kerrington Cross reached first on a fielding error by the shortstop, Brodie Kresser. He stole second and scored on a Landyn Vidourek single.
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Kartsonas bounced back in the fourth inning with flyouts for a quick inning. The Mountaineers exploded on offense in the bottom of the fourth. Logan Sauve led off the inning with a double to left field. He advanced to third on a Kyle West single. Adam Mrakitsch replaced Marsh on the mound after Jace Rinehart popped up to second base. He gave up a single to Sam White, which scored Sauve. Chase Swain doubled to left field as the next batter, scoring both baserunners. Grant Hussey walked and advanced to second, while Swain moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Spencer Barnett grounded out to first to score Swain, which made four WVU runs in the inning. They took a 4-1 lead heading to the fifth.
Kartsonas had another quick inning in the fifth with one strikeout. The Mountaineers once again had a big inning on Mrakitsch. Skylar King started things with a walk. He was thrown out at second on a Sauve ground ball, but Sauve advanced to second on a throwing error. Rinehart singled to center to record an RBI. Sam White moved him to second on a single to left field. Swain drove in Rinehart with a double down the third base line. Hussey walked again to load the bases. Barnett drove in two on a single through the left side. It made the score 8-1 after five.
Sauve added an insurance run with a homer in the sixth inning. Kartsonas finished his night after the sixth inning and was replaced by Benjamin Hudson. He had a clean sheet in the seventh, and WVU posted another run in the bottom of the inning. Kresser knocked in Hussey on a fielder’s choice. Hudson was replaced by Mac Stiffler in the eighth and had some trouble.
He walked the first two batters, and head coach Steve Sabins pulled him quickly. Ben McDougal replaced him with runners on first and second. He gave up a single to Derrick Pitts, who scored one. He gave up a double to Cal Sefcik, who also scored a run. Cincinnati scored another couple of runs on a Dawson Hokuf single and made it 10-5. McDougal was replaced by Tyler Hutson, who got out of the inning without allowing any more damage. He finished the ninth inning with two strikeouts and a flyout to preserve the Mountaineers’ victory.
Takeaways
The pitching was solid in the final game of the series. The game was close for the first three innings, and Kartsonas performed well before the offense alleviated the pressure in the fourth. They only allowed five hits as a team today, with Kartsonas allowing one. He pitched six innings and had seven strikeouts. Hutson also added three strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched. Rinehart was crucial to the Mountaineers’ success in this series. He finished the series with five RBIs and seven hits. Sauve also played an important role with two home runs and a double. The bats were hot in the final game and should carry over to their midweek game with the Nittany Lions.
