Baseball: WVU Downs Red Storm in 13
April 11, 2010 06:26 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 11, 2010
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| Chris Enourato | Jedd Gyorko |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team survived a ferocious comeback by St. John’s as it defeated the Red Storm, 10-8, in 13 innings on Sunday afternoon at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens, N.Y.
With the game knotted at 4-4 heading into the top of the 11th inning, the Mountaineers (15-17, 3-6) scored three crucial runs in the frame to take a 7-4 advantage. Brady Wilson hit a one-out triple to right field, the first of his career, and scored on Dom Hayes’ clutch two-run single to provide some insurance runs. Jeremy Gum then singled up the middle to plate Hayes.
In the bottom half, the Red Storm (18-11, 5-4) scored all three runs with two outs to tie the game. With runners on first and second base, Joe Panik hit a run-scoring single to right center. After Jeremy Baltz’s hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Jimmy Parque provided a game-changing hit with a tying two-run double to right field. Reliever Andy Altemus (2-3) proceeded to intentionally walk Greg Hopkins to load the bases, and induced an inning-ending pop-up to second base.
“The St. John’s hitters deserve a lot of credit. They competed hard,” coach Greg Van Zant said. “We also had a lot of guys that stepped up and competed real hard. It was a very important win for us after experiencing such a heartbreaking loss yesterday. Our guys never gave in, never quit and kept competing.”
After both teams went scoreless in the 12th inning, WVU responded with three more runs in the 13th. Junior Justin McDavid drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Mountaineers ahead, 8-7. Redshirt junior Colin Durborow then stepped to the plate and provided the game-winning base hit, a two-run single to right field that gave WVU another three-run cushion.
Despite allowing a solo home run to Baltz with two outs in the 13th, Altemus ended St. Johns’ comeback hope by forcing Hopkins to fly out to left field. Altemus, a Morgantown native, rebounded nicely after surrendering the game-tying hit to Parque in the 11th. He retired seven of his next 10 batters, with one intentional walk included, to deliver a big victory for the Mountaineers.
Sunday’s win was WVU’s first victory at St. John’s since defeating the Red Storm, 9-7, on April 28, 2003. The 13-inning contest was also the longest for WVU since it defeated Seton Hall, 4-3, on March 24, 2007. It is also the first extra-inning affair for the Mountaineers since falling to USF in 10 innings on May 22, 2008.
WVU got another tremendous offensive effort from a host of players, none more impactful than junior shortstop Jedd Gyorko. The Morgantown native finished 4-for-6 with two home runs, two RBIs and a season-high five runs scored. In his last four games, Gyorko has combined to go 10-for-20 with five home runs, nine RBIs, four doubles and 11 runs scored.
Gyorko tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth with a solo home run to left center, then hit another solo home run in his next at-bat in the seventh to put WVU ahead 4-2. Between Gyorko’s at-bats, McDavid hit his first career home run on a solo blast to right center in the sixth as WVU retook the lead at 3-2.
Four players in Gyorko, McDavid, Hayes and Durborow drove in two runs apiece. Both teams combined for 33 base hits, with WVU producing 16. It is the fourth-highest total this season by the Mountaineers, trailing their 25 hits against Maryland, 19 versus Purdue and 18 against Eastern Michigan.
Wilson went 2-for-5 with one run scored on the afternoon. The Frederick, Md., native improved his batting average by 71 points over the last four games. Freshman Matt Frazer also came through with a 3-for-4 performance, hitting two doubles down the left field line in the first and eighth innings.
“We used every available position player today,” Van Zant added. “There were so many guys that contributed. We had several opportunities where we could have quit but we battled back.”
Arguably the game’s best performance belonged to WVU reliever Chris Enourato. The school’s career leader in saves quieted the Red Storm between the second and 10th innings, allowing one earned run on six hits with three strikeouts in eight innings pitched. The Red Storm went 2-for-16 against the Bridgeport resident until scoring two runs in the eighth to tie the game, with one being unearned.
Enourato held one of the country’s best offenses scoreless through five straight innings, and forced Panik into an inning-ending flyout in the second frame when he first entered the game.
“Chris came in and pitched very well,” Van Zant mentioned. “The only reason he came out was because he got banged up after colliding with Colin Durborow on a foul ball. He wanted to stay in the game, but I didn’t want to risk further injury.”
St. John’s used eight pitchers in today’s contest. Anthony Cervone (0-1) absorbed the loss after allowing all three runs in the 13th inning.
WVU heads to Charleston, W.Va., to face Eastern Kentucky in the Mountaineer Power Classic on Tuesday, April 13, at Appalachian Power Park. First pitch begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $6 for general admission and $8 for box seat tickets. To order, call the West Virginia Power Box Office at (304) 344-BATS or visit wvpower.com.
