The West Virginia University baseball team suffered a heavy loss, falling 14-5 to BYU in the first game of the series at Miller Park in Provo, Utah. Read more WVU falls to BYU in game one.
The Mountaineers (20-4, 2-3 Big 12) took a 4-0 lead in the second inning but faltered afterwards, as the Cougars (14-9, 4-3 Big 12) scored 14 unanswered runs en route to a 15-4 victory.
WVU went in front in the second inning, as redshirt junior third baseman Chase Swain singled to right field, driving in senior first baseman Grant Hussey and freshman catcher Gavin Kelly. Senior shortstop Brodie Kresser added to this lead as he doubled it by playing Swain and sophomore second baseman Spencer Barnett with an RBI double to left field to make it 4-0.
BYU Comes Alive
BYU chipped away at the lead, walking with the bases loaded in the second inning to make it 4-1. This was followed by an RBI single in the third inning, halving the deficit.
The BYU bats really exploded in the fifth inning, going off for six runs to erase the WVU advantage. It started with a single to right field to make it 4-3, before they managed to tie the game tagging up from a pop up to shortstop. They then took the lead on an RBI double to right field, preceded by them quadrupling their lead with a bases-clearing double, as they left the inning with an 8-4 lead.
A sacrifice fly in the sixth inning made it a 9-4 lead, before a two-win RBI single in the seventh put the Cougars up 11-4.
A pair of RBI doubles made it 14-4, as the last one turned into an inside-the-park home run for Goff.
READ: WVU’S OFFENSE EXPLODES IN GAME TWO
West Virginia scored one run in the ninth, as junior pinch hitter Ben Lumsden drove in Barnett, but this was not nearly enough as the Mountaineers fell 14-5.
The Mountaineers went 8-32 at the plate (.250), collecting six walks, two hit-by-pitches, three doubles and stolen base. No WVU hitter had multiple hits, but Swain and Kresser each drove in two runs.
It was a very poor pitching performance from WVU, as their pitching staff gave up 14 runs in eight innings on 14 hits and seven walks. Griffin Kirn was the starter, as the redshirt senior left-handed pitcher went 4.0 innings giving up four runs on five hits and three walks. The bullpen fell apart, as six pitchers combined for five innings pitched, nine hits and four walks.
Both teams will face off again Friday night, with first pitch set for 8:30 p.m.
