Baseball: WVU Downs Pitt 15-12 In Game One
March 20, 2008 10:45 PM | General
March 20, 2008
BOX SCORE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia sophomore Tobias Streich drove in four runs with a pair of hits including his first home run and Jedd Gyorko recorded three hits to lead the Mountaineers to a 15-12 victory over BIG EAST Conference rival Pitt, today, in the conference season opener at Hawley Field.
Sophomore Vince Belnome scored a career-high four runs on a career-tying four hits and recorded two RBIs, while senior Tyler Kuhn finished with two hits and three runs.
Gyorko now has 38 on the season and is currently on an 18-game hitting streak.
Sophomore Billy Gross (3-0) earned his third win of the season, striking out eight batters, giving up three runs on four hits and walking four. Sophomore Chris Enourato earned his fourth save striking out one, and allowing just one hit in one inning of work. Pitt’s sophomore left-hander Nate Reed (1-1) dropped his first decision of the season, allowing 13 runs on 16 hits, striking out five and not walking any in just three innings on the mound.
The Mountaineers (14-4, 1-0 BIG EAST) finished with 15 runs on 19 hits and had three errors, while Pitt (6-9, 0-1 BIG EAST) finished with eight hits on 12 runs and committed four errors.
The Mountaineers had a 12-run first. Gyorko’s two-RBI single drove in Kuhn and junior Justin Parks. Junior Austin Markel then doubled down the right field line to plate Gyorko, who scored on a fielding error by the right fielder. Enourato’s double drove in Markel, and Parks’ single RBI plated Yost. Kuhn hit a single to bring in Enourato, and Gyorko singled up the middle on his second at-bat to plate Parks. Belnome then singled to right field to plate Kuhn, before Streich hit a three-RBI homer.
The Panthers answered with nine runs in the second and third innings. In the second inning, Nick Mullins was walked home after a throwing error got him on base. Jordan Herr scored off of a sacrifice fly by Danny Lopez, and Dan Williams singled to right center to plate Warner and Morgan Kielty.
In the third inning, Zach Duggan reached on a fielder’s choice, Kielty scored after being walked and advancing to second on a passed ball. Chris Warner crossed the plate off of a wild pitch, before Lopez scored of off another Mountaineer error. Williams hit an RBI single to right field to drive in Sean Conley and narrow the Mountaineer margin to three with the score of 12-9.
The Mountaineers answered in the bottom of the inning when Belnome singled to right center field, advanced to second on a single, before advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt by Markel. Belnome then scored on a passed ball by the Panther catcher to give WVU a 13-9 lead.
The Panthers drove in two runs in the seventh inning when Lopez hit a two-RBI single to right field to plate Kielty and Jordan Herr. The Mountaineers answered back in the bottom of the inning when Belnome’s triple to center field plated Kuhn, and Streich grounded out to the shortstop to plate Belnome.
Pittsburgh’s Conely hit a home field to center field in the eighth inning to create the final score of 15-12.
The Mountaineers continue the three-game series against the Panthers, on Friday, March 21, at Hawley Field. First pitch is at 3 p.m.
