Baseball: McDavid Extends Hit Streak in Losses
April 30, 2010 11:51 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 30, 2010
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| Justin McDavid |
GAME ONE BOX SCORE | GAME TWO BOX SCORE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Junior first baseman Justin McDavid extended his hitting streak to 19 games as the West Virginia University baseball team fell in both games of a doubleheader against Cincinnati on Friday evening at Marge Schott Stadium.
The Mountaineers (18-25, 3-14) lost game one, 9-3, then fell in game two, 5-2, to the Bearcats (22-20, 7-10). McDavid, a junior college transfer from Queen Creek, Ariz., finished 1-for-4 in the first game and went 1-for-3 with a double in the second contest. His hitting streak began on April 1 against Connecticut and is the longest by a Mountaineer since Dan DiBartolomeo’s 23-game hitting streak in 2009.
Junior Jedd Gyorko and redshirt junior Grant Buckner led WVU offensively with four base hits apiece in both games. The two veterans had multiple-hit performances in both contests, as Gyorko finished 2-for-4 with a double in the first game, and 2-for-4 in game two. Buckner also went 2-for-4 but recorded two doubles and an RBI in game one, followed by two more hits and another two-bagger in the second contest.
Cincinnati, which boasted the second-best ERA in the BIG EAST entering tonight’s doubleheader, received two quality starts from pitchers Brian Garman (4-1) and Nick Johnson (1-1). Garman, a left-hander, threw a complete game in the first contest and struck out nine on seven hits while surrendering three runs. Johnson, a right-hander, tossed eight shutout innings in game two and struck out 11.
Game one starter Jarryd Summers (1-8) took the loss after allowing four earned runs on five hits in five innings pitched, while Eric Hinkle (2-5) fell in game two after allowing four earned runs in three innings pitched.
In the first game, WVU took a brief 3-0 lead in the opening frame. Buckner’s double to centerfield scored Dom Hayes, and McDavid followed with a single to third base to put runners on the corners. Junior catcher Kevin Griffin then plated Buckner with a run-scoring single through the left side, and McDavid later scored on a wild pitch and subsequent throwing error by catcher Jimmy Jacquot.
The Bearcats chipped away with two runs through the first four innings, then plated four in the fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead. T.J. Jones smacked an RBI double to right field to start the scoring, and Justin Riddell capped the frame with a run-scoring single through the right side. Cincinnati scored three insurance runs in the final three innings to quell any chance of a WVU comeback.
WVU, which registered seven base hits in each game, was held to no runs through the first seven innings as it trailed 5-0 in game two. In the eighth, WVU notched a run on an RBI groundout by Hayes. Still trailing by four runs entering the ninth inning, WVU scored once more as Jeremy Gum led off with a solo home run to right field off reliever Sam Slavik, his second of the season. The Mountaineers then struck out in three of their next four plate appearances to end the contest.
The final game of the series is scheduled for Saturday, May 1, at 4 p.m. Should rain postpone tomorrow’s contest, the game will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m.
