Baseball: Doubleheader Sweep
March 10, 2008 07:45 PM | General
March 10, 2008
GAME ONE BOX | GAME ONE BOX
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia baseball team finished with 18 runs on 21 hits to win both ends of a doubleheader, 7-2, in a seven-inning game and 11-8 in a nine-inning contest, against Valparaiso, today, at Hawley Field.
In game one, junior starter Josh Whitlock (3-0) threw a complete-game victory, pitching seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits, striking out five and walking five. Elliott Gibbs (0-2) dropped his second decision of the season, pitching 3.2 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, striking out three batters and walking two.
West Virginia (8-3) scored seven runs on 10 hits, while Valparaiso (2-8) scored two runs on five hits and committed three errors.
The Mountaineers scored three runs to open a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning. Tobias Streich scored on Dan DiBartolomeo’s single, Tyler Kuhn’s triple to right center plated DiBartolomeo and Jedd Gyorko single to left field drove in Kuhn for the third run of the inning.
West Virginia scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth inning, Streich drove in Austin Markel with an RBI single to left field, and Vince Belnome’s single through the right side, plated DiBartolomeo for the seventh run of the game.
Valparaiso’s Josh Wallace doubled to center field in the sixth inning, advanced to third when John Giusti grounded out to first base and scored on a wild pitch from Whitlock.
In game two, WVU scored 11 runs on 13 hits and committed two errors, while Valparaiso (2-9) scored eight runs on 13 hits and committed one error.
Mountaineer pitcher Stephen Morrison (2-0) earned his second win of the season, pitching 7.1 innings, giving up four runs, two earned, on six hits, walking six batters and striking out three. Chris Enourato (3) was credited with his third save of the season, pitching the final inning, giving up one hit, walking one and striking out two batters.
Down 11-4 going into the ninth inning, the Crusaders scored four runs in the ninth inning and had runners on first and third when the game ended. A two RBI single by Zach Rodeghero, a bases-loaded walk to David Klein and an RBI single by Mark Schoeck accounted for the four runs.
Enourato came on in relief of Eric Saffell with the bases loaded, no outs, and the Mountaineers holding on to an 11-6 lead. He gave up the walk to Klein, and the hit by Schoeck before striking out pinch hitter Jason Brunelli, forcing Matt Lenski to fly out to right field and striking out Andrew Quinnette to end the game.
West Virginia took an early 3-0 lead after the third inning. Gyorko hit his first collegiate home run over left center in the first inning. In the third inning, Justin Parks accounted for both runs with a single through the right side, scoring Markel and Belnome.
The Crusaders cut the WVU lead to one in the fourth inning. Justin Frane flew out to center to plate Wallace, and Bill Lazar singled to right field to drive Schoeck for the second run of the inning.
The Mountaineers added three runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-2 lead. Markel tripled to right center, scoring Yost and Belnome. Streich singled to center field to score Markel for the third run of the inning.
The Crusaders added a single run in the seventh inning to cut the WVU lead to three. Lazar walked to lead off the inning, advanced to second on Damon McCormick’s walk, moved to third on a Morrison wild pitch and scored on Dan DeBruin’s bunt single down the first base line.
West Virginia put a five-spot on the board in the seventh inning to take an 11-3 lead. Gyorko had a two-RBI single through the left side, scoring Mark Dvoroznak and Parks. Belnome doubled to center field to drive in Kuhn and Gyorko. Yost doubled to left center to plate Belnome for the fifth run of the inning.
The Mountaineers play a two-game mid-week series with St. Bonaventure, on Tuesday, March 11 at 5 p.m., and Wednesday, March 12, at 2 p.m.
