Baseball: WVU Hammers UConn
May 12, 2007 03:28 PM | General
May 12, 2007
BOX SCORE
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| Matt Yurish |
STORRS, Conn. – The WVU baseball team cruised past Connecticut 14-0, on Saturday at J.O. Christian Field to pick up a critical win to keep its BIG EAST tournament hopes alive. The shutout marked the first time WVU had shutout a BIG EAST opponent since a 1-0 win at Villanova in 2005.
The win moves WVU (27-20, 8-14 BIG EAST) back into ninth place ahead of Connecticut (25-24, 7-13 BIG EAST) in the league standings. The top eight teams make the BIG EAST tournament at season’s end.
After Friday’s poor performance at the plate, the Mountaineer offense looked like the league’s second best hitting team again by pounding out 14 hits off of five different Connecticut pitchers for 14 runs.
“Our hitters were well rested and had energy today,” head coach Greg Van Zant said. “Tyler had a big day and our hitters did a great job of producing runs. Matt Yurish went out and didn’t walk anyone in nine innings which is tremendous. That was as big of a pitching performance as we could have had. He came up with a big time performance in a clutch situation.
For the second consecutive game, WVU got solid pitching from its starter. This time it was junior left-hander Matt Yurish on the hill. Yurish (3-5) pitched a complete game shutout in his best outing all year to get his third win. Not only did the Martinsburg, W.Va., native strike out seven Husky batters, he allowed just five hits and had no walks in the 31 batters he faced. Yurish threw 69 of his 111 pitches for strikes.
“I was hitting my spots really well and I threw all three of my pitches for strikes,” Yurish said. “The biggest thing for me was I didn’t walk anyone and made all the hitters put the ball in play. (Catcher) Justin Parks called a great game and the guys behind me made plays, that’s all you can ask for as a pitcher.”
The Mountaineers led 3-0 before really taking control of the game with a four-run fourth. Jason Pape ledoff with a four-pitch walk and moved to second on a sac bunt. Leftfielder Brent Lockhart hammered a double down the left field line to score Pape and give WVU a 4-0 advantage. Adam White drew a four-pitch walk before Tyler Kuhn delivered an RBI single to center to bring in Lockhart from second.
Austin Markel got a base on balls later in the inning to load the bases and cue Husky coach Jim Penders to pull starter Dusty Odenbach for reliever Ted Garry. DH Trent Ridgley then laid down a squeeze bunt down the third base line and beat the throw out for an infield hit. UConn first baseman Matt Untiet couldn’t handle the throw allowing one more runner to cross the plate on the error to take a commanding 7-0 lead.
The Huskies brought in Will Musson to pitch in the seventh and the Mountaineers got four more runs on three hits, two walks and a hit by pitch. WVU then added two in the eighth and one in the ninth to finish the game.
Kuhn had a big day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a home run and tied his career high with five RBI. Ridgley went 3-for-6 with a solo home run in the ninth and three RBI. White was 2-for-5 with two RBI and four runs scored while Markel also drove in two baserunners.
Husky designated hitter Brad Olt was the only UConn batter who could figure Yurish out. Olt went 3-for-3 on the afternoon while Harold Brantley and Untiet were the only other players to have a hit.
West Virginia got things rolling in the third inning on its second time through the order. Leadoff hitter Adam White slapped a bloop single that dropped into left center field. Kuhn then blasted a two-run shot over the right field fence to put WVU on top 2-0. After senior Justin Jenkins struck out looking, Markel put West Virginia up 3-0 with one swing of the bat as he sent the first pitch he saw over the right field fence.
Husky starter Odenbach got tagged with the loss. Odenbach lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on six hits and walked four. Garry pitched 2.1 relief innings and pitchers Musson, Dennis Accomando and Doug Jennings all saw one inning of action for UConn.
Sunday’s rubber match has been moved up to an 11 a.m. start due to the Mountaineers’ travel plans.
