Mountaineers battle back, but fall to Kentucky, 11-9 – WV MetroNews

GRANVILLE, W.Va. — West Virginia didn’t go down without its best fight Saturday night against Kentucky.

But resiliency wasn’t enough for the Mountaineers to overcome an abundance of mistakes that the Wildcats capitalized on enough to claim an 11-9 victory at Kendrick Family Ballpark, putting UK within one victory of winning the Morgantown Regional.

“For our team to bounce back and be able to tie that game showed real resiliency,” WVU coach Steve Sabins said. “These guys keep playing. Couldn’t be more impressed with the grit we showed. Didn’t play our best game. The effort and intensity was there, but overall, sloppy game.”

The Wildcats got to Mountaineer ace Maxx Yehl throughout the first inning before the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year exited having recorded two outs across 36 pitches. Sabins confirmed Yehl left with an injury, but had no further update on the southpaw.

“Maxx left the game with an injury. We don’t know what that is,” Sabins said. “Haven’t talked to the trainer. At that point, trying to make decisions that are in the best interest of the team.”

Playing as the away team on its home field, the Mountaineers (40-15) went down in order against UK starting pitcher Nate Harris to start the contest.

The Wildcats (33-21) then worked to touch up Yehl in their first at bat, which leadoff hitter Jayce Tharnish working a walk after an eight-pitch battle.

Tyler Bell then reached on a Brodie Kresser error that likely otherwise would’ve been a double play, and with the bases loaded and one out, Ethan Hindle drove in two with a single to center, though Hudson Brown was thrown out at third on the play.

Braxton VanCleave followed with a two-run home run that easily cleared the right field fence, and after Yehl hit Carson Hansen with a pitch, his outing was over.

“I knew we’d have our hands fall. Sometimes to get an ace, you have to get him in the first,” Wildcats’ coach Nick Mingione said. 

West Virginia’s Sean Smith got to third base with one out in the second, but the Mountaineers didn’t score, and their deficit grew to six runs in the bottom of that inning, which featured a run-scoring double from Luke Lawrence and Hindle’s fielder’s choice that brought Bell in with the sixth run.

WVU gained momentum in the third when Gavin Kelly belted a two-run home run to left.

A two-out rally in the fourth helped the Mountaineers draw closer, and it began with a Ben Lumsden single. Tyrus Hall split the gap in right-center with a run-scoring double to make it 6-3, and after Hall advanced to third on a wild pitch, he scored the Mountaineers’ fourth run via a balk.

Harris was lifted for Ryan Mullan during the inning, but he walked and hit the only two batters he faced.

Jack Sams relieved Mullan and walked Sean Smith to force in a run, though he induced an inning-ending fly ball to shallow left on a 2-0 offering to Matthew Graveline, enabling UK to preserve a one-run lead at that point.

“You can never underestimate the importance of one run,” Mingione said, “and that’s denying it or getting it.”

Armani Guzman’s leadoff walk in the fifth led to him eventually stealing third base, with the throw down on that play ending up in left field and allowing Guzman to cross the plate and tie the matchup at 6.

Kresser made a second error to start the home half of the fifth, and it loomed large when Owen Jenkins, the No. 9 hitter, connected for a two-out, two-run single off Reese Bassinger, who had struck out Caeden Cloud with the bases loaded in the previous at bat. 

At the conclusion of that play, Guzman alertly chased down an errant throw that got away in the infield and fired home to Kelly, who applied a tag on Carson Hansen to prevent UK from leading by more than two runs.

“Nothing really catches him off guard,” Sabins said of Guzman.

Kelly then led off the sixth with his second home run of the game and 15th this season, allowing the Mountaineers to trail by one.

“A lot of ups and downs and it speaks volumes to our offense and whole team. We’re a resilient group of guys that are gritty,” Kelly said. 

WVU got even for a second time in the seventh when Tyrus Hall doubled to right to score Guzman, who had reached on a double to start the frame.

With the game knotted at 8 in the eighth, UK reliever Jack Bennett retired Kelly, Paul Schoenfeld and Smith in order, setting the stage for UK to go back in front.

The Wildcats did exactly that in the bottom of the inning. Jenkins was hit by a pitch, stole second and moved to third on a Tharnish infield single, before Bell was also hit by a pitch, loading the bases with one out.

Lawrence made Bassinger pay for the hit batsmen with a go-ahead single to right that drove in one, and left-handed Ben McDougal came on to pitch at that point, but Brown greeted him with a two-run single to right for an 11-8 lead.

“I couldn’t do it without this whole team and staff,” said Lawrence, who played through injury. “Our training staff did an unbelievable job last night and this morning with me. When I came out yesterday, every single guy in that dugout had my back and willed me through today.”

A two-out error from Cloud at third base allowed Graveline to score in the ninth and sent the tying run to the plate.

Sabins elected to have Zahir Barjam pinch hit for Hall, but he lifted a fly ball to left for the final out.

“Barjam has legitimate power and really good bat-to-ball skill,” Sabins said. “In those moments, trusting in the roles guys have been in. You’re kind of envisioning a two-run home run there.”

The Mountaineers will look to avoid elimination at noon Sunday against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons (39-20) topped Binghamton, 12-3, in the first game Saturday at Kendrick Family Ballpark.

Sabins noted the Mountaineer coaching staff would work late Saturday to develop a pitching plan for the elimination contest.

“It’s very difficult to line up for the future. It’s more about next man up and as you win games, you’re going to have some heroic performances,” Sabins said. “That was the message to the team at the end. If you haven’t had the ball a ton or you’ve been dying to be in the biggest games of the season, your time is coming so be ready for it.”

The winner will play Kentucky at 5 p.m. Sunday and would have to defeat the Wildcats twice, with the if necessary matchup scheduled for Monday at a time to be determined.

“Anytime you have a chance to maybe play one less game than your opponent it actually does matter,” Mingione said.

Kentucky finished with 12 hits and was hit by a pitch on six occasions.

Bennett was the last of five UK pitchers utilized and threw the final four innings, striking out three and issuing one walk. He allowed three runs on four hits over a 60-pitch performance.

“The biggest thing for me is I’m a pretty calm guy. I don’t get too caught up in the moment or try not to at least,” Bennett said. “Coming out of the bullpen, you have to have fire in your ass. Excuse my language, but that’s what you have to do.”

The Mountaineers totaled nine hits and drew six walks, but surrendered six unearned runs.

The nine runs are the most for WVU in any loss this season.

“When you do have that many free passes, those singles and doubles turns into runs,” Sabins said. “We made big pitches in big moments but they got big hits in big moments. It wasn’t our cleanest game.”