Break Out The Broom
April 17, 2003 10:00 PM | General
April 17, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Jarod Rine couldn’t help but remember the feeling in West Virginia’s dugout last year after Virginia Tech swept a three-game series from the Mountaineers to end their season.
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| Junior Jarod Rine slugged two home runs Thursday against Virginia Tech. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
So this year he made up for it.
Rine went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored in the first game, and added two more hits in the nightcap including the go-ahead home run to lead West Virginia to a doubleheader sweep of the Hokies Thursday evening at Hawley Field.
“They kind of buried us last year and were up cheering the whole game and we kind of remembered that,” said Rine. “We wanted to get a little pay-back at them and I think we came out there and did that today.”
The Mountaineers claimed game one, 15-5 and took the second game, 3-1. In the process West Virginia jumped past Virginia Tech into a tie with Notre Dame for first place in the Big East standings with an 8-2 league record. The Irish split with Pittsburgh earlier today.
“We’re happy to be there but there is a lot of baseball left to be played,” cautioned West Virginia coach Greg Van Zant.
West Virginia (24-11) set the tone in the bottom of the first inning of game one, plating 7 runs on 8 hits off Tech starter and loser Josh Biber, now 5-2.
The big hit was a three-run homer by designated hitter Stan Posluszny, a last-minute replacement for regular DH Derek Cisar.
“The hero of the day in my opinion is Stan Posluszny,” said Van Zant. “He’s been swinging the bat real well and he came up with a big, three-run homer and a double in the first game.”
The Mountaineers’ other big inning came in the sixth when they plated 8 runs off Tech relievers Scott Stoehr and Ricky Bowers.
Errors by Chris Stanton and Spencer Harris prolonged the inning and Rine made the Hokies pay for it with a three-run homer to clean up the frame for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia starter Shawn Miller went the distance, allowing 3 earned runs on 8 hits. Miller fanned 5 and walked 3 to run his record to 4-0.
“Shawn stepped up and kept battling,” said Van Zant. “He’s all over the place with his pitches but he’s got movement on all of them and he competes enough and has been able to keep us in games.”
In the second game Zac Cline pitched a complete-game gem. The lefthander gave up an early run to the Hokies before closing the door, setting down 17 straight Virginia Tech batters at one point. Cline allowed just 5 hits and struck out 4 to improve to 6-3 on the season.
“I was really happy with my performance especially after coming out of that first inning kind of shaky,” Cline said. “I just tried to keep throwing strikes and tonight I had pretty good control of all of my pitches which is the key to my success. I’m not a guy who is going to go out and strike out 15 guys.”
“Zac pitched as good a college baseball game as you will ever see pitched,” said Van Zant.
West Virginia tied the score in the sixth when Jake Serfass doubled in Kurtis Clinton, who reached on an error by Harris.
In the bottom of the seventh Rine led off the inning with his second home run of the day and his sixth of the year.
“I was sitting fastball and he gave it to me and I just got my hands through it and hit it well,” said Rine.
The Mountaineers tacked on an important insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Serfass doubled in Grant Psomas. Psomas reached base on a one-out walk.
Serfass finished the doubleheader 4 for 5 with a pair of doubles and 4 RBI. Lee Fritz went 3 for 8 with 2 runs scored.
Catcher Wyatt Toregas led the Hokies with three hits.
Andrew Wells allowed 2 runs on 7 hits through 7 innings to drop to 3-3 on the year for Tech.
“The Wells kid pitched a heck of a game and we saw him at the Commonwealth Showcase and we tried to get him and he wouldn’t even visit here,” said Van Zant. “He’s a big, left-handed freshman and we’re going to see more of him during his career.”
Virginia Tech, coming off a 5-3 win over Virginia Wednesday, falls to 24-11.
West Virginia resumes Big East play on Monday with a Big East doubleheader at Hawley Field against Georgetown. The Mountaineers wrap up their 10-game home-stand Tuesday, April 22, against Maryland.
“We’ve got to get ourselves ready for Georgetown because if we don’t show up they are very capable of beating us twice,” said Van Zant.
Notebook: West Virginia’s doubleheader sweep of Virginia Tech was the first time the Mountaineers have claimed a season series against the Hokies since taking two out of three in Morgantown in 2001, “Those were big wins,” said Van Zant. “Virginia Tech’s got a good ball club and the most runs Virginia Tech had given up in any game this year was seven and we were at 15 and got eight in one inning.” … the pair of wins improves West Virginia’s record to 27-48-1 all-time against the Hokies. “It’s been long time since we have swept a doubleheader against them,” said Van Zant … baseball’s wins Thursday completed an impressive year for men’s teams against Virginia Tech. The football and men’s basketball teams also claimed impressive triumphs against the Hokies.
