West Virginia could not recover after being down three after five innings. They move to 34-5 on the season but remain 13-3 in the Big 12. The loss came right after the Mountaineers achieved their highest ranking this season at 17 in the Baseball America rankings. They have a series this weekend against UCF in Orlando, which should be an important series for the conference standing for WVU. Read more: WVU’s winning streak ends at 14, loses to Penn State 3-2.
Recap: WVU’s Winning Streak Ends at 14, Lose to Penn State 3-2
The game was low-scoring, but the Nittany Lions jumped to an early lead. Designated hitter Jack Porter hit a home run with two outs in the bottom of the first. Benjamin Hudson walked the next batter before getting the third out of the inning. He allowed two baserunners in the bottom of the second after the Mountaineers failed to score in the top of the inning.
Skylar King doubled in the top of the third but was left on base. Hudson allowed two hits in the bottom of the inning and got pulled after 2.2 innings. Tyler Hutson came in and got out of the jam. The fourth inning was quick, with each team leaving one runner on base.
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WVU had a great opportunity for runs in the fifth. Brodie Kresser singled with one out, and Spencer Barnett doubled in the next at-bat. Anthony Steele replaced Mason Butash on the mound for Penn State with two outs in the inning. He got Logan Sauve to fly out to right field to end the inning. Brodie Kresser committed an error with one out in the bottom of the inning to allow a baserunner. Porter singled to put two runners on before Hutson got pulled. Chase Meyer replaced him on the mound but could not get out of the inning. Both baserunners advanced on a passed ball and scored on a single. The Mountaineers trailed by three after Meyer got out of the inning.
The Mountaineers finally got on the board with a Barnett two-run home run in the top of the seventh. It would be their only runs of the game as they could not get timely hits down the stretch. They started the ninth inning with a walk but failed to score a run. Kresser advanced the runner to second on a fielder’s choice, but the Nittany Lions got out of the inning for the victory.
Key Takeaways
Kresser’s error loomed large in this game. It allowed the winning run on base, and Penn State took advantage. A passed ball moved them into scoring position, and they secured a timely hit to score both runs. Both teams had seven hits, but Penn State’s hits came in vital moments. Little things need to be cleaned up for WVU before heading into tournament play. They cannot let good teams advance on the basepaths due to mental errors.
The pitching was not ideal for the Mountaineers. Hudson did not enter the third inning and forced head coach Steve Sabins to dip into his bullpen early. He brought in his best reliever, Chase Meyer, and could not get out of the inning unscathed. Mac Stiffler and Carson Estridge pitched well in the final three innings, but it was too little too late. They did not allow a hit and only allowed one baserunner. The starters and middle relievers need to pitch quality innings against quality competition.
Who’s the third catcher?