Baseball: Doubleheader Sweep of UMES
April 23, 2005 06:08 PM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
April 23, 2005
 Korzun |
 Yurish |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team rallied in their last at-bat in game one and collected a season-high 23 runs in game two in sweeping Maryland-Eastern Shore in doubleheader action on Saturday afternoon at Hawley Field.
The Mountaineers (19-22) used a four-run seventh inning in posting a 6-5 win on a cold and windy opening game. Junior Kevin Korzun tossed 5 1/3 innings in relief to improve to 2-0 on the season.
In the nightcap, WVU pounded out 23 runs on 20 hits while freshman Matt Yurish tossed the Mountaineers fourth complete game of the season in picking up his first collegiate victory, a 23-1 final after seven innings. The 20-20 offensive effort is the first since April 3, 2001, when West Virginia knocked off Niagara with a 21-run, 24-hit day at Hawley Field.
Maryland-Eastern Shore (6-39) took an early 5-0 lead in the opener before WVU rallied for six unanswered runs. West Virginia plated two runs in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by catcher David Carpenter and RBI double from second baseman Tyler Kuhn.
With one out in the seventh inning, outfielder Brandon Drespling gathered his third hit of the game and scored on a Carpenter double to left center. After a Kuhn walk, centerfielder Lee Fritz singled to left field with two outs to score Carpenter and make it 5-4. Junior Stan Posluszny came through with a bases clearing double down the right field line for the game winner.
Korzun, who relieved starter Kenny Durst, allowed only one run on three hits with five strikeouts. Drespling finished 3-for-3 and Fritz 2-for-4 as Mountaineers with multiple base hits.
UMES reliever Bernie Stratchko picked up the loss in the seventh.
In game two, West Virginia collected three home runs, one triple, five doubles and seven walks in their most productive offensive output of the season.
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| Jenkins |
Like in game one, the Fighting Hawks scored first with a single run in the opening frame. Catcher Justin Hoban singled to left field scoring Joel Maher who began the game with a walk.
WVU’s lefthander would settle down and make important outs to eliminate any UMES rally. Yurish allowed just one run on four hits in a career-high seven innings with seven strikeouts.
The Mountaineers scored in all six innings and batted through the order in three innings. A five-run second and six-run third innings put West Virginia on top 12-1.
Every WVU starter collected at least one hit for the second time in three games. Leadoff batter Kuhn was a home run short of hitting for the cycle with a career day going 4-for-5 with six RBI. Posluszny finished 2-for-5 including his seventh home run of the season – a three-run shot to left field in the third inning.
A five-run sixth inning put WVU over the 20-run mark. Highlighting the inning was Jenkins’ team leading tenth home run of the season – a two-run bomb over the left field wall scoring Kuhn.
The Hawks’ Daniel Sterling took the loss after going 1 1/3 innings allowing five runs on four hits with three walks.
West Virginia looks to sweep the series with Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sunday afternoon at Hawley Field. The fourth and final game will get underway with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
