Baseball: WVU Rallies Past Ohio
April 10, 2008 12:52 AM | General
April 9, 2008
BOX SCORE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – You can call them comeback kids, cardiac kids or a team with a never say die attitude. Whatever you call them, one thing is for sure. The West Virginia baseball team knows how to erase a deficit.
After rallying from nine runs down for a 15-14 victory over USF back on Saturday, the Mountaineers turned the trick again, this time overcoming a 10-1 deficit in the fourth inning to outlast Ohio 13-12 in 10 innings Wednesday night at Hawley Field.
“We just didn’t quit,” West Virginia Coach Greg Van Zant said. “This team never quits. We just keep having good at bats. Our hitters really competed all night.”
Austin Markel was only 1-for-5 at the plate on the evening, but the one hit was a big one, a walk-off RBI double to right field that scored Vince Belnome and gave West Virginia (25-7, 6-3) its sixth win in seven games.
“Austin came up big. He was determined to get up there and hit the ball hard and he did. I am really happy for him and our team,” Van Zant said.
WVU reliever Chris Enourato (4-0) earned the win after pitching the last two innings without allowing a run or hit. Ohio’s Mike Babin (0-1) took the loss after giving up the game’s final run in the tenth inning.
The Bobcats blew the game open in the third inning scoring six runs off two hits to take a 7-0 lead. Ohio (15-14, 7-2) also benefited from a walk and a hit batter in the frame off of WVU starter Jarryd Summers, who was pulled after giving up five earned runs and six hits in just 2.2 innings of work.
After the Mountaineers responded with a run in the bottom of the third, the Bobcats were at it again in the fourth, using three hits to score three runs off reliever Eric Saffell to grab a 10-1 advantage.
WVU clawed back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kuhn smacked a leadoff single and then advanced to second on a throwing error by Ohio second baseman Hayden Johnston. Kuhn then went to third on a passed ball, and Jedd Gyorko plated him with an RBI single to right center. Yost’s doubled and Markel’s sacrifice fly made it 10-3.
The Mountaineers scored four more runs in the fifth. A drag bunt single by Kuhn scored Dan DiBartolomeo from third. Gyorko then laced a single into left field to bring Tobias Streich home. Belnome’s double off the wall in right scored Kuhn and Yost’s sacrifice fly scored Gyorko, making it 10-7.
Ohio got some insurance in the seventh when Marc Krauss hit an RBI single, scoring Gauntlett Eldemire to make it 11-7. The Bobcats made it 12-7 in the eighth when Matt Stiffler got his team-leading fifth RBI on the night, plating Chris Klimko from second.
As has been the case all year, West Virginia simply refused to quit. Agreste led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to left field and two batters later Streich was hit by a pitch with one out.
Parks’ single loaded the bases, and Kuhn hit an RBI single to bring home Agreste. Gyorko reached base on an RBI fielder’s choice and Belnome lined a single up the middle that scored Parks. Yost followed with an RBI single, scoring Gyorko, to cut WVU’s deficit to 12-11.
After Enourato sat the Bobcats down in order in the ninth, WVU needed at least one run in its half. DiBartolomeo and Streich were each retired quickly on line drives to second base and shortstop respectively. Parks then hit a single and advanced all the way to third on a throwing error by Ohio shortstop Zach Keen. Kuhn then brought in Parks with an RBI single to center, tying the game at 12-12.
“We were down to one hit and then we were down to one strike and Kuhn fights it off and puts it in the outfield for a base hit,” Van Zant said. “I thought when he did that we would have a good chance to win the game.”
With one out and the game still tied in the 10th, Belnome smacked a single to right field and Yost was hit by a Mike Babin pitch to set up Markel’s walk-off heroics.
Six Mountaineers recorded multi-hit games with Belnome and Tyler Kuhn each going 5-for-6 at the plate. Kuhn and Jedd Gyorko each had three RBIs on the night while Belnome and Jordan Yost each had two in a game that saw WVU pound out 20 hits.
Ross Fetterly pitched well in long relief to give West Virginia a chance. The Norfolk, Va. native scattered seven hits and gave up just two runs over 4.1 innings of work.
“This gives our team a big boost and a lot of confidence knowing we can come back from any deficit. Those are the kinds of wins you need to have a big year,” Van Zant said. “You need some things to go your way and hopefully we can keep it going."
WVU returns to action for a three-game series at Seton Hall that begins on Friday, April 11. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
