Baseball: WVU Falls to No. 14 Nebraska
March 07, 2004 03:20 PM | General
March 7, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Mountaineer baseball squad (1-7) lost its seventh straight game at the hands of No. 14 Nebraska (6-3), 13-6, Sunday afternoon at the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic in the HHH Metrodome.
After Casey Bowling led the game off with a single, shortstop Grant Psomas put the Mountaineers on the scoreboard first with a two-run home run, his second of the season, giving WVU what would prove to be its only lead of the game.
The Cornhuskers wasted no time against WVU freshman hurler Levi Maxwell, making his first collegiate start, as RBI singles by Jake Mullinax, Curtis Ledbetter and Colin Shockey gave Nebraska a 3-2 lead at the end of the first inning.
Nebraska added three more runs in the second inning off Maxwell to take a 6-2 lead.
WVU scored one run in the third on a Psomas sacrifice fly that plated Jake Serfass, who doubled then advanced to third on a Lee Fritz single. In the fourth inning, Mike Christoforo walked to lead off the inning, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on another wild pitch to help WVU pull within two runs, 6-4.
Nebraska’s Alex Gordon and Jesse Boyer ripped an RBI doubles in the fourth and fifth innings off Maxwell to give the Huskers a four-run cushion. They would add to their lead with five more runs, highlighted by a three-run inside-the-park home run by Mullinax in the seventh inning.
Maxwell (0-2) picked up the loss after pitching five and one-third innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits while striking out four and walking four.
Boyer, Mullinax, Gordon, Ledbetter and Shockey combined for 15 of Nebraska’s 17 hits. Boyer also had three of his team’s seven total stolen bases on the day.
Phil Shirek (1-0) earned the win for Nebraska after tossing 4.1 innings in relief and allowing two unearned runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
WVU’s seven-game losing streak is the longest since the team lost seven straight games to open up the 2000 season.
West Virginia returns to action for its home opener on Tuesday, March 9, against non-conference foe Quinnipiac, at 3 p.m., at Hawley Field.
