Baseball: WVU Struggles Against Fighting Irish
April 18, 2008 11:01 PM | General
April 18, 2008
BOX SCORE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University baseball team fell to No. 29-ranked Notre Dame, 8-4, on Friday night before an attendance of 1,058, the third highest at Hawley Field.
The Mountaineers (27-10, 7-6 BIG EAST) struck out 11 times and fell victim to solid pitching by the Fighting Irish (24-9-1, 11-2 BIG EAST).
Justin Parks went 3-for-5 and Vince Belnome added two hits to lead the Mountaineer offense. WVU produced nine hits overall, including seven against reigning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week David Phelps (5-3), who earned the win for the Irish after giving up three runs in seven innings pitched while striking out 10.
WVU starter Josh Whitlock (6-3) took the loss after giving up seven runs on eight hits in six innings pitched.
Notre Dame got things started in the second inning when Brayden Ashdown hit an RBI groundout to score Jeremy Barnes. Greg Sherry followed with an RBI single hit sharply up the middle to plate Ross Brezovsky and give Notre Dame an early 2-0 lead.
In the third the Irish added another run when Evan Sharpley deposited Whitlock’s 1-2 pitch over the center field wall to notch his team-leading eighth home run of the season and give Notre Dame a 3-0 advantage.
In the fourth inning the Irish did more damage by tacking on two more runs to take a 5-0 lead. David Mills hit a fly ball that was misplayed by center fielder Austin Markel, who lost sight of the ball before letting it ricochet off his glove. The error allowed Ashdown to score, and Sharpley hit an RBI single that right fielder Parks also misjudged in the air.
The Mountaineers bounced back in the bottom of the fourth when Markel avenged his error by hitting a sharp line drive down the right field line to plate Jedd Gyorko and cut WVU’s deficit to 5-1. Notre Dame starter Phelps then allowed Belnome to score on a balk to make it 5-2.
Notre Dame added an insurance run in the ninth inning to make the score 8-3. Brett Lilley’s RBI groundout to second scored Ashdown to extend the lead.
WVU scored one run in the bottom of the ninth but could not muster any more in the loss. Tobias Streich’s groundout scored pinch-hitter Brent Lockhart to make the final score 8-4.
The Mountaineers continue their three-game series against Notre Dame on Saturday, April 19, at 3 p.m. at Hawley Field.
