WVU bounced back in the second game of the doubleheader against Texas Tech. They won 3-2 in a close game against the Red Raiders after falling to them earlier in the day, 6-4. WVU is now 38-7 overall and 17-4 in the Big 12. They move to 16-4 at home this season and extend their lead in the conference. They play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Wagener Field and Kendrick Family Ballpark. Read more: WVU wins second of doubleheader against Texas Tech 3-2.
Recap: WVU Wins Second of Doubleheader Against Texas Tech 3-2
It only took two pitchers to get the job done in the second game on Saturday. Gavin Van Kempen started on the bump for WVU but only pitched two innings. Skylar King struck out as the first batter of the game and was tossed for arguing balls and strikes. Ben Lumsden replaced him in center field. Sam White got WVU on the board first in the bottom of the first. They capitalized on an error committed by the third baseman Peyton Schulze. Logan Sauve reached on the error and scored two pitches later when White doubled to right center.
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Van Kempen walked the first batter of the third inning and was pulled by head coach Steve Sabins. Reese Bassinger took over for the Mountaineers and never gave up the ball. He got shortstop to ground into a double play against his first batter of the game. Tracer Lopez hit a home run to right field to tie the game for the Red Raiders. The offense had his back in the bottom of the inning. Lumsden walked to lead off the inning before two groundouts. White hit another double to right field to score Lumsden from second. Jace Rinehart followed it up with an RBI single of his own to give the Mountaineers a 3-1 lead.
Bassinger allowed one more run in the fourth inning before settling in for the game. He gave up three singles to the first four batters, and one rounded the bases to make it 3-2. The Red Raiders left two men on base that inning. WVU committed an error in the fifth inning to allow Lopez to reach third, but it did not cost them this time. Bassinger got out of the inning with a strikeout. He completed the game without allowing another run to secure the victory for the Mountaineers.
Key Takeaways
Reese Bassinger pitched a great game for the Mountaineers in the second game on Saturday. He pitched seven innings and allowed eight hits and two runs. He struck out four batters and did not walk anyone. Bassinger did his job quickly, only throwing 86 pitches with 62 strikes. It was a much-needed outing from the bullpen, who has been used a lot in the last two games. Van Kempen pitched two innings and only allowed one hit and walked one batter. Bassinger moves to 6-0 on the season following the victory.
Sam White produced from the cleanup spot. He finished two for four with two RBIs and two doubles. They were timely hits, which WVU lacked in their recent games. Gavin Kelly also had a solid game batting eighth. He walked twice, got hit by a pitch, and singled. Getting on base in four at-bats at the bottom of the order is massive for WVU. Sabins got tossed in the first game of the doubleheader and King in the second game. The Mountaineers should be careful if the same umpires do Sunday’s game.
