The Mountaineers and the Thundering Herd played for the final time this season at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston. Marshall walked it off in the ninth inning on a throwing error to move to 1-2 on the season against WVU. WVU is now 37-6 on the season but still has a formidable record of 16-3 in the Big 12. It was their first game of the season on a neutral field, so they moved to 0-1 in that category. They play Texas Tech at home on Friday at 6:30 p.m. to open the three-game series. Read more: WVU errors prove pivotal in walk-off loss to Marshall.
Recap: WVU Errors Prove Pivotal in Walk-Off Loss to Marshall
WVU took an early lead with two runs in the first inning. Kyle West doubled to left center to drive in Skylar King to score the first. Jace Rinehart reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, and West scored from third. The momentum did not last long. AJ Havrilla homered with two outs in the bottom of the first, off starter Gavin Van Kempen.
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The Mountaineers scored again in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead. Logan Sauve doubled down the left field line to put himself in scoring position for Sam White. White doubled through the left side to record the RBI. Mac Stiffler replaced Van Kempen in the second inning and pitched cleanly until the fourth inning.
Stiffler hit the first batter of the fourth inning but followed it with two quick outs. He could not get out of the inning, however. He allowed a double to Cam Harthan, which scored a run. Jackson Golden homered three pitches later to give Marshall a 4-3 lead. Benjamin Hudson came in for Stiffler to get out of the inning. Kyle West came back in the top of the fifth with a solo homer to tie the game.
WVU regained the lead in the sixth inning, but it did not last long. Grant Hussey drove in a run with a single to right field. Brodie Kresser laid down a sacrifice bunt to score the second run of the inning, which gave the Mountaineers a 6-4 lead. Marshall came thundering back in the bottom of the inning. Reese Bassinger replaced Hudson on the mound and only recorded two outs. He hit the first batter, struck out the second, and gave up a double to Harthan. Golden recorded his third and fourth RBI on a single to tie the game. Carson Estridge replaced Bassinger to get the final out.
Chase Meyer came to the mound in the bottom of the ninth to attempt to force extra innings. He got one strikeout before walking the next batter. Meyer allowed a single to Eddie Leon to put men on first and second with one out. Tyler Kamerer came up and hit a ground ball to third. Chase Swain threw the ball into the Marshall bullpen and allowed the winning run to cross the plate.
Key Takeaways
Simple miscues have been piling up for WVU for the last few games, but it has not hurt them until tonight. Swain stole home in the ninth inning of the second game against Marshall to give WVU the win. Tonight, he gave Marshall the victory with a throwing error. It was WVU’s second error of the game and a costly one. They had their best reliever on the mound, in Meyer, but the defense did not back him up. He likely gets out of the inning unscathed if the play is made, but it was not. Miscues and errors will bite them in the postseason, as well. The defense must be cleaned up before the Big 12 tournament if they want to make a run.
The amount of arms used in this game is questionable by head coach Steve Sabins. It is a midweek game against Marshall, and he used seven arms after getting one inning out of Van Kempen. Stiffler threw the most pitches with 60, and 27 was the highest thrown from the others. Arms must be conserved this deep into the season, especially with a three-game series starting on Friday. WVU ranked eighth in the nation with a 3.59 ERA coming in tonight. They posted a 3.82 ERA as a team against Marshall. They did not have their best stuff in Charleston and will return to Morgantown this weekend to attempt to bounce back.
