Baseball: Winning Streak Snapped at 17
April 02, 2006 03:28 PM | General
April 2, 2006
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – If only West Virginia could have saved some of its 30 hits from yesterday’s 28-8 victory over Seton Hall. On Sunday, Pirate pitcher Dan Merklinger struck out 10 to blank the Mountaineers 6-0 at Owen T. Carroll Field.
Merklinger scattered eight hits and stranded seven West Virginia base runners to improve his record to 3-4. The loss stops West Virginia’s winning streak at 17 games and is also the first Big East Conference loss of the year for WVU, now 23-4, 5-1. The Mountaineers took the first two games of the series on Saturday.
The Pirates also snapped a five-game losing streak to West Virginia, having lost all three games in Morgantown last year.
Seton Hall (8-17, 2-7) got a two-run home run from catcher Chris Affinito and Pirate first baseman John Walsh also knocked in a pair of runs.
West Virginia starter Marty Fagler gave up six runs on nine hits with four walks in five innings of work to take the loss and fall to 3-2. Kevin Korzun pitched three scoreless innings of relief for West Virginia.
Casey Bowling had two hits including a double for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia returns to Hawley Field on Tuesday to take on Coppin State in a non-conference doubleheader set to begin at 1 pm. The Eagles are 5-19 heading into today’s game at Norfolk State.
West Virginia travels back to New Jersey next weekend to play a three-game Big East Conference series at Rutgers.
Earlier today St. John's defeated Georgetown to sweep the series and improve to 6-0 in conference play. The Mountaineers are tied with Notre Dame for second place with 5-1 records.
