The Mountaineers will await on Selection Monday to see where they will play their regional. They lost to Arizona 12-1 in the Big 12 semifinal matchup. They needed to win the tournament to keep their hopes alive of hosting a regional, but it seems they will be the second seed in another region. Arizona will play the winner of Kansas vs. TCU in the Big 12 Championship, while the Mountaineers get on the next flight back to Morgantown. Read more: WVU gets trounced by Arizona in Big 12 semifinal.
Recap: WVU Gets Trounced by Arizona in Big 12 Semifinal
The Mountaineers found themselves down before getting a chance to bat. Shortstop Mason White had a spectacular day, which started with a two-out solo home run in the top of the first inning. Jack Kartsonas got out of the second inning without any more trouble, but WVU did nothing with one baserunner in the first and second innings.
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Kartsonas found himself in trouble in the third inning with two outs. He walked White, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Catcher Adonys Guzman drove him with a single up the middle to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. WVU’s offense was nonexistent for the better part of this game. Raul Garayzar pitched six innings, did not allow a run, and gave up six hits for Arizona.
White hit another home run in the fifth inning, which ended Kartsonas’ night. It was a three-run home run to right center after back-to-back singles. Robby Porco replaced Kartsonas and got out of the inning, but Arizona led 5-0. WVU got a couple of hits in the bottom of the fifth, but a double play and another ground out stopped the momentum.
Porco struck out two in the sixth inning but allowed two baserunners before getting pulled in favor of Chase Meyer. Meyer allowed an RBI single to Guzman to start his night. He walked the next batter and gave up another RBI single, but Guzman got thrown out at third. Arizona took a 7-0 lead into the seventh inning after WVU grounded into another double play in the bottom of the sixth. Meyer gave up two more runs in the top of the seventh before being pulled for Cole Fehrman. Fehrman’s first batter was White, who picked up another RBI on a single. That brought the 10-run rule into play if WVU did not score a run in the bottom of the inning.
Armani Guzman led off the inning with a pinch-hit single and advanced to third after a wild pitch that the catcher could not locate. Chase Swain knocked him in with a pinch-hit single. That extended the game, but WVU was still down 10-1. Arizona scored two more runs in the top of the ninth, one off the bat of White, who doubled. The Wildcats won 12-1 and advanced to the championship game.
Key Takeaways
It did not matter who the Mountaineers had on the mound, Mason White destroyed them. He went four for four with six RBIs and two home runs. He also walked twice. WVU had no answer for the Wildcats all game. They allowed 17 hits, and nine of them came with two outs. They used eight different pitchers, partly to get some guys action in the MLB stadium before they learn where they are headed on Selection Monday. Kartsonas struggled to find the strike zone as the starter. He threw 95 pitches, and 54 were strikes. He finished with six strikeouts in four innings but could not get the final out after getting two quick outs multiple times.
WVU did not have any timely hits in this game. They went two for 18 with runners on and one for four with runners in scoring position. They also went four of 12 with two outs, the area where Arizona shined. WVU had 10 hits, and five came from the lead-off batter. They did not make the pitchers for Arizona work, and the Wildcats’ defense turned three double plays. The Mountaineers had plenty of chances to score some runs but could not string together any hits.
