WVU (17-4, 5-1 Big 12) took care of business on the road against in-state rival, Marshall. The Mountaineers won 3-0 and allowed only one hit to the Thundering Herd. The pitching staff was dominant in this game, carrying a combined no-hitter into the seventh inning. The offense did enough early to win the game and leaned on their pitching staff. This game was the first of three games this season against Marshall, the next scheduled for April 7, in Morgantown. Read more: WVU takes the first of three games this season versus Marshall.
Early innings
WVU took little time to get a run on the board in Huntington. Matt Ineich started the game with a single through the left side, and Paul Schoenfeld advanced him to second with a one-out single. Matthew Graveline loaded the bases with a single of his own, which put WVU in a prime position with one out. Brock Wills grounded out to third base, but a run scored to give them a 1-0 lead.
David Hagen forced the top of the order for Marshall to all ground out for a quick, six-pitch inning. The Mountaineers got after Blaine Albright again in the second inning. Zahir Barjam started the inning with a walk and advanced to second on an Armani Guzman groundout. Tyrus Hall walked to put men on first and second base before Gavin Kelly knocked Barjam in with a single. Kelly was caught stealing to end the inning.
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Hagen produced another quick inning, this time with one groundout and two strikeouts. It was a 12-pitch inning in the second, as he made the most of his pitches. WVU took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning.
Schoenfeld doubled down the right field line to lead off. He stole third with one out, before a Wills’ walk. That forced Marshall to relieve Albright with Luke Proehl. Kresser took advantage of the new pitcher and singled to right center, scoring Schoenfeld from third base.
Hagen struggled a bit in the bottom of the third, walking the first batter he faced. He got the next two batters out, but Cleary Simpson advanced to third. He walked Evan Bottone on a full count, but struck out Tyler Kamerer to end the inning.
Middle innings
Proehl made quick work of the Mountaineers at the top of the fourth inning. He struck out Hall and forced two fly balls. Ian Korn replaced Hagen at the bottom of the inning, as Hagen left in line for the win. Korn walked Cooper Hinson with two outs, but it led to nothing.
Graveline got the lone hit in the fifth inning, but Proehl worked three outs to make it meaningless. Korn struck out one and finished the bottom of the inning with six pitches. Alex Caudill replaced Proehl in the sixth inning and walked one batter with two outs. It did not matter as he got WVU’s leadoff batter, Ineich, to fly out to left field.
Korn came back out for the bottom of the sixth inning and faced some adversity. He hit Kamerer and Jackson Halter with a pitch after getting one out. He struck out the next two batters, however, to finish his night.
Late innings
Caudill pitched another flawless inning in the top of the seventh, as both teams struggled to find baserunners. Reese Bassinger replaced Korn in the bottom of the seventh, with the pitching staff throwing a combined no-hitter. He allowed a single to Oliver Service on a full-count to start his night. Service advanced to second on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, but Bassinger came back firing. He struck out the next two batters and got a foul out on a 2-0 count to end the inning.
The bats stayed cold for WVU against Caudill in the top of the eighth. Wills and Kresser flew out and struck out, respectively. Ryan Maggy pinch hit for Barjam, but he struck out swinging. Bassinger struck out the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth. He then hit two batters and struck out Hinson to end the inning.
Caudill ended on a high note for Marshall with a 1-2-3 inning. David Perez came in for Bassinger, looking for his fifth save of the season. He struck out Service and walked Simpson to start the inning. Marshall pinch hit for Mason Onate and put Cam Harthan at the plate. He grounded into a double play to end the game, as WVU won 3-0.
Top performers
- P. Schoenfeld (WVU): 2-for-4, 2B, R, SB
- M. Graveline (WVU): 2-for-4
- D. Hagen (WVU): 3 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 K (W, 2-0)
What’s next?
WVU returns to action Friday, March 27, at 9:30 p.m. ET, as it travels across the country to Tempe, Arizona, for a three-game series against the Arizona State Sun Devils. The game on Saturday is at 9:30 p.m. ET, and the game on Sunday is at 8 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN 2.
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