WVU dropped two out of three against Kansas State this weekend to move to 19-6 in the Big 12. This 14-9 loss was their tenth of the season, moving them to 40-10. They had a stellar record on the road this season, but the amount of travel must have caught up with them. They are now 23-5 after dropping two this weekend. WVU finishes the regular season with a three-game series against Kansas in Morgantown on Thursday through Saturday.
Recap: WVU Drops Two Out of Three Against Kansas State
WVU got the scoring started in the top of the second inning. Jace Rinehart hit a lead-off double and reached third on a ground out. Chase Swain recorded the RBI with a sacrifice fly to right field to put the Mountaineers up 1-0. They got two more runs in the third with two outs. Brodie Kresser and Kyle West singled to get on base for Logan Sauve. Sauve hit a two-out double down the left field line. It put WVU up 3-0 in the middle of the third.
READ: Around the Big 12: Utes Knock Wildcats Out of Title Race
Jack Kartsonas did not get into trouble until the bottom of the third. He gave up a lead-off single, followed by a home run off the bat of Shintaro Inoue. That made it 3-2 in favor of the Mountaineers after three. The Wildcats took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. They hit three consecutive singles to start the inning, scoring one run. The second came on a fielder’s choice and put Kansas State up 4-3.
Tyler Hutson replaced Kartsonas to start the fifth inning, but he struggled. He walked the first batter before giving up an RBI-double to Seth Dardar. Keegan O’Connor knocked him in with a single in the following at bat. Hutson’s fourth batter was his last after giving up his third hit and fourth baserunner. Reese Bassinger replaced him on the mound with men on first and third and no outs. He got the first out on a sacrifice fly, but the Wildcats pushed their lead to four. He got a double play to end the inning and stop the bleeding.
WVU bounced back strongly in the sixth inning, recording two runs to make it 7-5 in favor of Kansas State. Swain singled with two men on to record an RBI, and Sam White scored on a passed ball in the next at bat. They took the lead in the top of the seventh off the bat of White. He hit a three-run home run to right field (364 feet). This made it 8-7 after Bassinger got six consecutive outs in the sixth and seventh.
Kansas State took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Bassinger hit the first batter and gave up a double before being pulled. Carson Estridge relieved him and did not get out of the jam. He gave up two runs after back-to-back singles for the Wildcats. He gave up another single with the bases loaded to give Kansas State a two-run lead. The following at bat, he gave up a grand slam to Seth Dardar, which made it 14-8. JJ Glasscock relieved Estridge and got the final out of the inning. WVU managed one run in the ninth inning and left two men on base to lose 14-9.
Key Takeaways
Estridge has struggled this series. He gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose the first game. He gave up five earned runs in the eighth inning of this game to squander another lead for the Mountaineers. Estridge only managed three outs in those two outings. The pitching staff struggled for the most part against the Wildcats. They allowed 25 runs in three games, which they cannot do next weekend if they want to secure the Big 12 title.
Sam White filled the stat sheet today. He went three for five today with a home run and a double. He also scored three runs today and five in the series. Rinehart continues to get on base and score runs. He scored four times today, two in the second game and one in the first. He and White make a lethal combination in the lineup, which should help them in the postseason. They scored 26 runs this weekend, but it was still not enough runs. WVU outscored Kansas State 26-25, but dropped two games. The pitching staff will get some much-needed rest this week since they do not play until Thursday. They need to bring their best arms against Kansas, which ranks seventh in the nation with 90 home runs.
