WVU won their second game in their region with a 9-6 victory over Clemson. They are now one win away from advancing to Super Regionals. They will now play the winner of Clemson vs. Kentucky, which takes place on Sunday, June 1 at noon. WVU will play the winner later that day at 6 p.m. This win was vital for WVU, as the team they face tomorrow will have to play a doubleheader with two elimination games. It is a double elimination bracket, so the Mountaineers will have two chances to claim victory in the regional. Read more: Bottom of the order shines in win over Clemson.
Recap: Bottom of the Order Comes Up Big in Win Over Clemson
WVU started hot in the top of the first and jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the Tigers. Skylar King was hit by a pitch, which was a theme in this game. Logan Sauve moved him to third on a single to center, and Kyle West knocked in the first run on a ground out. Jace Rinehart doubled to deep right to record an RBI, and Sam White kept things going with a single to score the third run of the first inning. Jack Kartsonas started for WVU and got three consecutive outs in the bottom of the inning.
READ: WVU Baseball’s Path in the Clemson Regional
No runs were scored again until the fifth inning. Brodie Kresser singled to center to start the fifth and moved to second on an Armani Guzman bunt single. Sauve drove in the runner with a single to right to make the score 4-0. Kartsonas continued to pitch well until the sixth inning when he ran into some trouble. He allowed a lead-off single to start the inning. It was followed by a two-run home run off the bat of Cam Cannarella. Kartsonas struck out the next batter, which was his last of the night. He was relieved by Carson Estridge.
Estridge hit his first batter faced and walked the next. He only faced two batters before being replaced by Reese Bassinger. Bassinger gave up a double to his first batter faced, which allowed a runner to cross home. He gave up a sacrifice fly to the next batter, which made the score 4-4 going into the seventh inning.
Clemson took the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Andrew Ciufo hit a one-out triple off Bassinger, and Cannarella drove him with a double to make it 5-4. Chase Meyer replaced him and immediately got a double play ground ball to end the inning and limit the damage.
The first game’s hero, Guzman, tied the game in the top of the eighth. Kresser singled with two outs and scored on a double from Guzman to make it 5-5. Meyer struck two batters out in the bottom of the eighth in a perfect frame for the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers took control of the game in the top of the ninth with a four-run inning. Clemson got two quick outs, but WVU rallied. Grant Hussey walked before a Sam White double, which gave WVU a 6-5 lead. Gavin Kelly legged out an infield single to keep the inning rolling. White scored on a Ben Lumsden single, and Kresser followed it with an infield single to load the bases before a Clemson pitcher change. Joe Allen entered the game for the Tigers and hit his first two batters faced, which gave the Mountaineers a 9-5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Meyer also got two quick outs but ran into trouble. He gave up a single, walked, and hit a batter to load the bases. Meyer walked in a run to make it 9-6 before giving the ball to Ben McDougal. McDougal struck out the first batter he faced with the bases loaded to secure a massive victory for WVU.
Key Takeaways
Clemson is a tough test for any team, and WVU rose to the occasion across the board. The pitching staff had a stellar night. Jack Kartsonas did not get the win but set them up for the second half of the game. He pitched 5.1 innings and allowed three hits and one earned run. He also recorded seven strikeouts. Estridge and Bassinger were the weak spots on the night but got out of the jams. Chase Meyer excelled in his 2.1 innings pitched. He allowed one hit, struck out three, and gave up one earned run. McDougal also pitched well, even though he faced one batter. He came in a high-stress spot and delivered a strikeout to seal the victory for WVU.
The bottom half of the order came through again for the second game in a row. Kresser went four for five batting eighth and scored two runs. Guzman went two for four with two RBIs in the nine-hole. Ben Lumsden also had an impactful night, going one for five with a run and an RBI batting seventh. Sam White’s night at the plate was the most important batting fifth as the designated hitter. He went three for five with two RBIs and a run.
WVU is going to be a difficult team to beat moving forward if they get this kind of production from this part of the order. Coach Steve Sabins deserves a lot of credit for inserting Guzman back into the starting lineup to start play in the regional. Guzman made his 22nd start of the season against Clemson and has been the MVP thus far in regional play.
