Speed and Power Hoist West Virginia 5-2 Over No. 3 Oklahoma State

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two West Virginia Mountaineer residence runs. A single season particular person stolen base document. A single season workforce stolen base document. A win over the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys at residence in entrance of a sold-out crowd.

This sport made up for any trepidation Mountaineer followers had after final night time’s 2-1 loss.

On each side of tonight’s match-up, a drizzly, chilly night time turned blazing scorching when the Mountaineer and Cowboy bats bought going. Oklahoma State right-handed starter Victor Mederos ran via your entire Mountaineer lineup in two innings, however not earlier than sophomore Nathan Blasick shot the second pitch of his at-bat 417 toes over the middle discipline wall. Blasick, tonight’s DH, bought the beginning over Dayne Leonard and made probably the most of his two-out alternative for the primary residence run of his 2022 marketing campaign.

The Mountaineer bats struck first, and the West Virginia protection, lead by sophomore southpaw Ben Hampton, shut the Cowboys down in 4 batters within the first inning and 1-2-3 style within the second and third. West Virginia (21-11, 5-2) held Oklahoma State (25-9, 8-2) scoreless till the fourth inning; Hampton allowed grad scholar Griffin Doersching a stroll with two outs, and the designated hitter promptly superior on a wild pitch. An RBI single from first baseman David Mendham introduced him residence, however Hampton stranded Mendham at third and closed the inning with a cleanly-fielded groundout that popped again his approach.

The Cowboys rallied once more within the high of the fifth, courtesy of a batter hit, a double, and a fielder’s alternative. The latter of which got here from grad scholar Jake Thompson and scored junior Hueston Morrill for Oklahoma State’s remaining run.

By the point the Cowboys bought two runs on the board within the fifth, West Virginia had already piled on what would ultimately grow to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

West Virginia’s sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook made up for final night time’s base operating blunder in each the third and seventh innings, totaling 4 RBIs. Within the third, a 2RBI moon shot sailed 407 toes over the left discipline wall. Freshman JJ Wetherholt, at second base off a single and a steal, got here residence with the run.

“I imply, I wasn’t actually in search of something,” Holbrook mentioned. “I used to be seeing his slider and his fastball each fairly good, and he threw me a fastball up, and I’m often fairly good at hitting fastballs up within the zone, so I noticed it out of his hand and simply drove it.”

He struck once more within the backside of the fifth inning, off Cowboy right-handed reliever Bayden Root. Senior Austin Davis doubled into heart discipline and junior Victor Scott walked to put two runners on the bottom path. Throughout Holbrook’s at-bat, Scott and Davis staged a double steal of second and third, respectively. When Holbrook bought his bat on the ball, he grounded out to Root, and Davis scored to up the Mountaineer result in 4-2.

Holbrook got here again out within the seventh and knocked one other run in. Redshirt junior Tevin Tucker had walked and stolen second to steer off the inning. A sac fly introduced the speedy shortstop residence for the Mountaineers’ remaining run, 5-2.

Amazingly, 5 runs on seven hits and beating No. 3 Oklahoma State weren’t even probably the most noteworthy occasions of tonight’s Mountaineer displaying.

Seconds after Holbrook’s seventh inning RBI, Scott took off towards second and made historical past. His thirtieth stolen base of the season claimed the person document from Mickey Mamarella’s 29, accomplished in 1986. With the stolen base, this WVU roster additionally re-set the workforce stolen base document, additionally from 1986, of 114. Scott’s stolen base marked the Mountaineers’ one hundred and fifteenth swiped bag of 2022.

“I like watching these guys run,” WVU head coach Randy Mazey mentioned of Scott and Davis. “I like watching them. They’re dynamic gamers and I’d love nothing greater than for each of these guys to interrupt (Mazey’s stolen base) document after which chase one another’s data.”

Hampton (5.1IP-4H-2R-5K) earned the win (6-2) after permitting the pair of Oklahoma State runs on 5 hits; Trey Braithwaite earned the save after two innings, successful and a strikeout. Oklahoma State’s Mederos logged his second loss (3-2) and the Cowboys broke a four-game successful streak. With the 5-2 victory, the Mountaineers transfer to 22-11 (6-2) and drive an Easter rubber match, set for tomorrow at 1 p.m.