The Mountaineers have been on a skid recently. They have lost four of their last five games and six of their last nine. Kansas beat them 3-0 in Morgantown in the first game of the series on Thursday night. WVU is now 40-11 overall and 19-7 in the Big 12. WVU still clinched the Big 12 tonight after a loss from Arizona State. They play on Friday night at 5 p.m. at Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark. Read more: WVU drops four of last five, loses 3-0 against Kansas.
Recap: WVU Clinches the Big 12 but Loses 3-0 Against Kansas
Kansas jumped out to an early lead and never gave it back. Derek Cerda hit a lead-off double and advanced to third on a flyout. Brady Counsell hit a fielder’s choice to the shortstop to pick up the RBI. Griffin Kirn allowed his first hit of the game, and the Jayhawks were able to knock him in. He dialed in after the lone run in the first. Neither team scored a run until the eighth inning.
READ: One And Win: Mountaineers on Cusp of Big 12 Crown
Dominic Voegele started for the Jayhawks and threw seven scoreless innings. He allowed six hits, had six strikeouts, and did not walk a batter. He and Alex Breckheimer held the Mountaineers to zero runs, which was the first time this season. Breckheimer pitched the final two innings and picked up the save, his seventh of the season.
Kirn pitched eight innings and this game and allowed two runs on seven hits. He walked three batters and struck out 10. The second run came on Michael Brooks’ home run, which is no surprise. Kansas ranks 10th in the nation with 93 home runs. Kirn finished the inning and did not come back out. He was credited with the loss, but pitched well in this game. Eight innings, two runs, and 10 strikeouts, that is a quality start in my book.
Reese Bassinger relieved Kirn in the top of the ninth and allowed a home run to Ian Francis. It gave Kansas a 3-0 lead and was the dagger to finish the game. Cole Fehrman replaced Bassinger and finished the game without allowing a run.
Key Takeaways
The offense did not show up for this game. Kirn pitched a solid game but was given no run support. You have to give credit to Kansas. They got out of any jams, and their starter went deep into this game. They also closed the game well on Breckheimer’s arm. WVU could not get anything going on offense for the first time this season. It is a bad sign heading into the postseason. At least the pitching staff performed well tonight after some much-needed rest.
WVU did not get an extra base hit tonight and only got one hit with runners on base. They left five stranded, while Kansas left nine stranded. The Mountaineers went zero for five with runners in scoring position and did not take advantage once. They batted .188 as a team tonight, which will not get it done in the Big 12 tournament. Someone has to step up each night, especially when they only allow three runs. Kyle West and Gavin Kelly each recorded two hits, and there was not much else to talk about with the rest of the lineup. They struck out a lot and did not put the ball in play when they needed to. They should clean it up in the next two games, or it could be trouble.
