WVU baseball takes series
1 year 1 week ago - 1 year 1 week ago #358
by wvu4u2
WVU baseball takes series was created by wvu4u2
GRANVILLE -- The final out didn’t come until well over six hours after the first pitch was thrown, but the No. 12 West Virginia baseball team claimed its series against Oklahoma with a win in the finale Sunday at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers jumped ahead early, and after a roughly three and a half hour rain delay, got back on track with a home run from Logan Sauve and closed out a 9-3 victory over the Sooners.
“After something like that, usually the first team to score carries momentum, so when it’s 6-0, it can either extend the lead or they can catch the lead, and Sauve hitting his first pitch for a homer coming out of the rain delay was really important,” WVU head coach Randy Mazey said. “When it goes 7-0, you feel like the next team to score, either it’s going to be a game or it’s going to be over, and they scratch three runs across, so that made it a game.
“The natural tendency is when you’re sitting in there laying on the couch with a six-run lead you can relax, and I don’t think our guys did that. I think they know we have a lot to play for, so the last six innings were going to be important.”
With first pitch pushed up two hours from the original start with rain in the forecast and knowing there would likely be a delay at some point, WVU (36-12 overall, 13-5 Big 12) wanted to get ahead early and did just that.Sophomore second baseman JJ Wetherholt cleared the Oklahoma (26-22, 10-11) bullpen in left with a solo homer in the first inning and the Mountaineers tacked on four more runs in the second inning with a three-run double from Sauve and an RBI-double from Tevin Tucker.
It was part of a big day for Sauve, WVU’s freshman designated hitter. He went 2 for 4 from the bottom of the lineup with a double, home run, four RBIs and two runs scored. Hussey finished 2 for 3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored and, in addition to Tucker and Wetherholt, Caleb McNeely also drove home a run.“
At the beginning of the day, [Mazey] talked to us and he said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get out on these guys early with the rain coming,’” Sauve said. “We did that early and then we met again and he said, ‘Whoever attacks first is going to win this game’ and to get the momentum.”
Oklahoma threatened the following inning after WVU starter Robby Porco allowed a one-out walk, but Noah Short came in to record the final two outs. He struck out Dakota Harris and Dayne Leonard caught Bryce Madron trying to steal second on the same play.Short threw just four pitches, but recorded two outs to pick up the win.
Porco allowed a hit and two walks with two strikeouts in 2⅓ scoreless innings.The Mountaineers added a run in the bottom of the third on Hussey’s run-scoring double, but at 12:08 p.m. the weather was too much and the teams went to the clubhouse until resuming at 3:40 p.m.WVU increased its lead in the fourth when Sauve took the first pitch he saw from James Hitt over the wall in left to make it 7-0.
“Obviously we got in that big delay and we had to stay active in the locker room to not get down and lose our energy,” Sauve said. “When I came back out, I just got loose and tried to attack the first fastball I got.”
While Sauve was rounding the bases, WVU’s Saturday starting pitcher, Blaine Traxel, was ejected for taking celebratory props from the dugout -- he was wearing a towel, a catcher’s mask and two different types of cones on his head.
Mazey was unsure on ensuing suspensions from the ejection immediately following the game.
Oklahoma got on the board in the fifth when Anthony Mackenzie scored on a single from Madron after the ball went under the glove of McNeely in right field, and the Sooners tacked on to more runs on RBI singles from Dakota Harris and Kendall Pettis.
Grant Siegel was charged with the three runs. He allowed four hits and two walks in 1⅔ innings after taking the mound -- and after the umpires questioned his windup when he first entered after the break. Maxx Yehl and David Hagaman combined to throw 4⅓ shutout innings of relief to close out the 9-3 win for the Mountaineers.
“[Siegel] sure did [change his windup],” Mazey said. “
In an inning and two-thirds, he had two walks and gave up four hits. Ask a guy to change the way he pitches in the middle of the season isn’t all that easy for a kid to do.”
WVU added insurance in the seventh on an RBI single from Hussey and a fly ball to center from McNeely.
Leonard scored on the play before Hussey was doubled up at first to end the inning.
Carter Campbell took the loss for Oklahoma after allowing five runs in 1⅔ innings.
Carson Atwood allowed a run in 1⅓ inning, Hitt allowed three in four innings and Carson Pierce shut out WVU in the eighth inning.
The Sooners are off until next weekend’s three-game series at Gonzaga.
The Big 12-leading Mountaineers beat Oklahoma 9-3 in the opener Friday and had a 10-game losing streak snapped by the Sooners with a 6-3 loss Saturday
.WVU is scheduled to face Spitt at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh before hosting Texas Tech next weekend at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers beat the Panthers 9-4 at PNC Park on April 19 and 10-0 in seven innings at home on Wednesday.
Jared MacDonald covers WVU athletics.
He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow @JMacDonaldSport on Twitter.
The Mountaineers jumped ahead early, and after a roughly three and a half hour rain delay, got back on track with a home run from Logan Sauve and closed out a 9-3 victory over the Sooners.
“After something like that, usually the first team to score carries momentum, so when it’s 6-0, it can either extend the lead or they can catch the lead, and Sauve hitting his first pitch for a homer coming out of the rain delay was really important,” WVU head coach Randy Mazey said. “When it goes 7-0, you feel like the next team to score, either it’s going to be a game or it’s going to be over, and they scratch three runs across, so that made it a game.
“The natural tendency is when you’re sitting in there laying on the couch with a six-run lead you can relax, and I don’t think our guys did that. I think they know we have a lot to play for, so the last six innings were going to be important.”
With first pitch pushed up two hours from the original start with rain in the forecast and knowing there would likely be a delay at some point, WVU (36-12 overall, 13-5 Big 12) wanted to get ahead early and did just that.Sophomore second baseman JJ Wetherholt cleared the Oklahoma (26-22, 10-11) bullpen in left with a solo homer in the first inning and the Mountaineers tacked on four more runs in the second inning with a three-run double from Sauve and an RBI-double from Tevin Tucker.
It was part of a big day for Sauve, WVU’s freshman designated hitter. He went 2 for 4 from the bottom of the lineup with a double, home run, four RBIs and two runs scored. Hussey finished 2 for 3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored and, in addition to Tucker and Wetherholt, Caleb McNeely also drove home a run.“
At the beginning of the day, [Mazey] talked to us and he said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get out on these guys early with the rain coming,’” Sauve said. “We did that early and then we met again and he said, ‘Whoever attacks first is going to win this game’ and to get the momentum.”
Oklahoma threatened the following inning after WVU starter Robby Porco allowed a one-out walk, but Noah Short came in to record the final two outs. He struck out Dakota Harris and Dayne Leonard caught Bryce Madron trying to steal second on the same play.Short threw just four pitches, but recorded two outs to pick up the win.
Porco allowed a hit and two walks with two strikeouts in 2⅓ scoreless innings.The Mountaineers added a run in the bottom of the third on Hussey’s run-scoring double, but at 12:08 p.m. the weather was too much and the teams went to the clubhouse until resuming at 3:40 p.m.WVU increased its lead in the fourth when Sauve took the first pitch he saw from James Hitt over the wall in left to make it 7-0.
“Obviously we got in that big delay and we had to stay active in the locker room to not get down and lose our energy,” Sauve said. “When I came back out, I just got loose and tried to attack the first fastball I got.”
While Sauve was rounding the bases, WVU’s Saturday starting pitcher, Blaine Traxel, was ejected for taking celebratory props from the dugout -- he was wearing a towel, a catcher’s mask and two different types of cones on his head.
Mazey was unsure on ensuing suspensions from the ejection immediately following the game.
Oklahoma got on the board in the fifth when Anthony Mackenzie scored on a single from Madron after the ball went under the glove of McNeely in right field, and the Sooners tacked on to more runs on RBI singles from Dakota Harris and Kendall Pettis.
Grant Siegel was charged with the three runs. He allowed four hits and two walks in 1⅔ innings after taking the mound -- and after the umpires questioned his windup when he first entered after the break. Maxx Yehl and David Hagaman combined to throw 4⅓ shutout innings of relief to close out the 9-3 win for the Mountaineers.
“[Siegel] sure did [change his windup],” Mazey said. “
In an inning and two-thirds, he had two walks and gave up four hits. Ask a guy to change the way he pitches in the middle of the season isn’t all that easy for a kid to do.”
WVU added insurance in the seventh on an RBI single from Hussey and a fly ball to center from McNeely.
Leonard scored on the play before Hussey was doubled up at first to end the inning.
Carter Campbell took the loss for Oklahoma after allowing five runs in 1⅔ innings.
Carson Atwood allowed a run in 1⅓ inning, Hitt allowed three in four innings and Carson Pierce shut out WVU in the eighth inning.
The Sooners are off until next weekend’s three-game series at Gonzaga.
The Big 12-leading Mountaineers beat Oklahoma 9-3 in the opener Friday and had a 10-game losing streak snapped by the Sooners with a 6-3 loss Saturday
.WVU is scheduled to face Spitt at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh before hosting Texas Tech next weekend at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers beat the Panthers 9-4 at PNC Park on April 19 and 10-0 in seven innings at home on Wednesday.
Jared MacDonald covers WVU athletics.
He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow @JMacDonaldSport on Twitter.
Last edit: 1 year 1 week ago by wvu4u2. Reason: format
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