No. 15 WVU (25-9, 10-6 Big 12) could not overcome an early deficit in the first game of the series against Houston. Houston won 10-7 despite WVU scoring six runs in the final three innings. The Mountaineers get another crack at the Cougars again on Saturday morning, as the game was moved up to 11 a.m due to inclement weather. Read more: WVU falls 10-7 to Houston in first game of series.
Early innings
Dawson Montesa allowed a lead-off single to Tyler Cox to start the game. Xavier Perez singled to left field with one out. Montesa loaded the bases with a two-out walk, but struck out Blake Fields to get out of the jam. Kendall Hoffman hit Gavin Kelly with a pitch, but that was the only baserunner he allowed in the bottom of the first inning.
Related: No. 15 WVU Baseball to defend home turf against struggling Houston squad
Montesa came back in the top of the second inning and struck out two batters on 12 pitches. Hoffman matched Montesa’s 1-2-3 inning. He got two batters to ground out and one to line out to second base.
Houston broke open the game in the third inning. Cox doubled to right center and advanced to third base on a groundball to second base from Tre Broussard. Cox scored on a Perez single to put the first run on the board. Perez scored on a double from Riley Jackson to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead. Cade Climie cleared the bases with a 433-foot homerun to right center, which made it 4-0. Montesa finished the inning by getting the next two batters out.
Hoffman had a little trouble in the bottom of the third, but held it together. Zahir Barjam started the inning with a double down the left field line. He scored from second on a one-out single from Matt Ineich. Hoffman got the next two batters to ground out to end the third inning.
Middle Innings
The fourth inning went y very quickly. Montesa got two groundouts and a strikeout, needing only seven pitches. Hoffman matched the quick top of the inning with another 1-2-3 inning. Sean Smith lined out to center field on the first pitch. Tyrus Hall and Matthew Graveline both grounded out. It took Hoffman six pitches.
The Cougars added an insurance run in the fifth inning, which ended Montesa’s outing. He walked Broussard to start the inning and allowed him to move to third after a wild pitch and throwing error on a pickoff attempt. He scored on a one-out single from Jackson. Carson Estridge replaced him on the bump and got out of the inning. WVU went three-up-three-down in the bottom of the fifth, trailing 5-1.
Estridge continued to deal in the top of the sixth inning. He finished with a 1-2-3 inning. Hoffman allowed Ineich to reach on a lead-off walk, but got the next three batters to continue his stellar performance.
WVU mounts a comeback in the seventh
The Cougars got to Estridge a bit at the top of the seventh inning. Broussard hit a one-out double, and Perez reached on a throwing error by Ineich at shortstop. Broussard advanced to third base. Jackson laid down a squeeze bunt, which worked as Broussard crossed the plate. The Mountaineers also failed to record an out as Armani Guzman lost the ball while trying to go home while charging from first base. Fields doubled to left center, which brought both baserunners across the plate. It also forced WVU to replace Estridge with Bryant Yoak, who got out of the inning.
Tyrus Hall homered to start the bottom of the seventh, which gave the Mountaineers a little life as they trailed 8-2 after the 428-foot shot. Graveline and Guzman followed with two singles. Barjam flied out to left field, but it allowed Graveline to move to third base. Brock Wills followed that with a strikeout for the second out of the inning. Ineich singled to start the two-out magic.
It also ended Hoffman’s night. Richie Roman replaced him. Roman walked the first two batters he faced. The second allowed a run to cross the plate to make it 8-4. Smith was awarded first base on catcher’s interference, which allowed another run to cross the plate. WVU surged back and pulled within three runs before the end of the inning.
Late innings
Yoak struck out Dylan Maxcey to start the top of the eighth. He needed six pitches to strike him out, but only needed three to strike out the next batter, Jackson LaLima. Yoak walked the next two batters but got Perez to pop up to Kelly at second base. Roman got Graveline to ground out and Guzman to fly out to start the bottom of the eighth. Barjam struck out swinging to take the game into the final inning.
Houston took control of the game at the top of the ninth and swung momentum back in its favor. Yoak struck out and walked a batter to start the inning. David Perez replaced him. Fields hit his first home run of the season to make it 10-5. Perez finished the inning without allowing another baserunner.
WVU needed a meteoric effort at the bottom of the inning to come back. Ineich hit a one-out single, and Schoenfeld moved him to third base with a two-out double. Smith singled to right field, which allowed both runs to score. It was too-little-too-late, however. Hall struck out to end the game. Houston won the first game of the series, 10-7.
Top performers
M. Ineich (WVU): 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
S. Smith (WVU): 1-for-4, 3 RBI
K. Hoffman (HOU): 6.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, 2 K, HR (W)
What’s next?
The Mountaineers return to action Saturday, April 18, for some morning baseball. The game has been moved up to 11 a.m. due to forecasted inclement weather. The final game is on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
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