The Mountaineers’ season ended on Sunday in Super Regionals at the hands of LSU after a three-hour delay due to rain. They beat the Mountaineers 12-5 in the second game of the series to complete the sweep. WVU had an outstanding season, finishing with a record of 44-16. They had a 19-9 record in the Big 12 and won the Clemson Regional. WVU capped off an exceptional season with a second consecutive appearance in the Super Regionals but could not get over the hump to make it into the College World Series in head coach Steve Sabins’ first season. Read more: LSU sweeps WVU in Super Regionals to end impressive season.
Recap: LSU Sweeps WVU in Super Regionals to End Impressive Season
LSU started the scoring in the top of the first inning. Jack Kartsonas gave up a double to the first batter of the game before walking another with one out. Jake Brown reached on a fielder’s choice and drove in Derek Curiel from third to give LSU a 1-0 lead. Anthony Eyanson struck out three consecutive batters in the bottom of the inning, which was a trend for the game.
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The Tigers did not let up in the top of the second inning. Kartsonas finished the inning, but it was his last. He started the inning with two outs but walked three in a row to load the bases. The first two batters were put on base with a full count, and Kartsonas could not get a strikeout. Steven Milam doubled to put three runs on the board, which made the score 4-0. LSU scored two more runs off two singles to take a 6-0 lead in the second inning.
Chase Meyer relieved Kartsonas to start the third inning and pitched four scoreless innings before getting into trouble in the seventh inning. WVU got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to two home runs. Sam White hit a lead-off home run to right center. Ben Lumsden hit a two-run home run with two outs to cut the lead to three heading into the fifth inning.
The Mountaineers put one more on the board in the fifth inning thanks to a White RBI single. That made the score 6-4 in favor of LSU. The Tigers poured it on in the seventh inning. Daniel Dickinson reached first on an error, and Meyer walked the next batter on four pitches. He hit the third batter of the inning following a mound visit, and his night was over.
Reese Bassinger replaced him on the bump with the bases loaded. He gave up a two-run single to his first batter faced. He picked off a runner at third and got a fielder’s choice for two outs in the inning. The Mountaineers committed their second error of the inning after Curiel stole second and advanced to third on the throwing error. Ethan Frey reached on WVU’s third error of the inning, and Curiel scored on the play. Milam hit another RBI double before Brown homered to center. Ben McDougal replaced Bassinger on the mound and got the final out of the inning. The Tigers extended their lead to eight with a score of 12-4. Jace Rinehart scored the final run of the season for the Mountaineers in the eighth inning with a solo home run to left center, and they lost 12-5.
Key Takeaways
Errors killed WVU’s chances of mounting a comeback in the elimination game. They committed three errors in the seventh inning and allowed five unearned runs. Mistakes will kill any team at this point in the season. LSU is too good of a team to give five unearned runs, especially in an elimination game. It becomes even that much more difficult in Baton Rouge in front of a loud crowd. WVU did not hit the ball well in this game. They tallied six hits, three of which were home runs. The power showed up for the Mountaineers in the series, but the pitching and defense struggled.
Kartsonas was good all season but did not hold up against the Tigers’ offense on Sunday. He pitched two innings and allowed five hits and six earned runs. He also walked four batters. WVU immediately had to dig out of a six-run hole after two innings. Meyer pitched well for four innings. He only allowed two hits and one earned run with four walks. Bassinger pitched 0.2 innings, allowing three hits and four runs, all unearned. Steve Sabins produced a fantastic season in his first with WVU, and the Mountaineer faithful should have high hopes for the future.
