West Virginia Loses Lead to Louisville
May 26, 2010 09:26 PM | General
May 26, 2010
CLEARWATER, FLA. – After stunning No. 9-rated Louisville through six innings, the West Virginia University baseball team surrendered 10 unanswered runs to the BIG EAST’s top seed as it fell, 11-4, on Wednesday evening at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla.
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| Jedd Gyorko is congratulated by his teammates following his fourth leadoff home run of the season.
BIG EAST photo |
Behind junior Jedd Gyorko’s two home runs and starting right-hander Andy Berry’s six superb innings, the Mountaineers (27-29) jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Gyorko led off the game with a towering home run to left field, and added a two-run shot to right center in the fifth frame. It was Gyorko’s fourth leadoff home run of the season.
More impressively, Gyorko hit his 18th and 19th home runs of the season off BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Thomas Royse. The Morgantown native’s first round-tripper came on a 1-2 fastball that Royse tried to sneak past him, and Gyorko sat and waited on a change-up in his third at-bat that left the park in no time.
“Jedd was great in the box today. He got a couple pitches he wanted from a great pitcher and drove them deep. He’s got great plate discipline and was patient tonight,” coach Greg Van Zant said.
Gyorko’s 19 home runs tie former Mountaineer Mark Landers for first-place on the school’s single-season list, and his 35 career round-trippers are also tied for first-place with Tim McCabe (2000-03). Both were four-year lettermen at WVU.
Performing just as well for WVU was Berry, who gave up just one earned run on only four hits with two strikeouts. The Virginia Beach native stymied a ballclub that entered the game leading the conference in slugging percentage (.724), home runs (81) and doubles (146).
“Andy had one of his best performances of the season tonight,” coach Greg Van Zant said. “He threw his off-speed very well and kept a lot of good hitters off-balanced.”
Berry retired the side in the fourth and sixth innings, and stranded six base runners overall. Throughout the evening, he never tried to overpower a potent offense, rather keeping it guessing with a couple off-speed pitches that he had great command of.
The Mountaineers managed eight hits in 32 at-bats. Louisville starter Royse took a no-decision after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings pitched. It was the second-most earned runs the all-BIG EAST first team pitcher has allowed this season.
WVU was unable to sustain its momentum once the seventh and eighth innings came around. The Cardinals were able to score their runs in bunches, getting four in the seventh and six in the eighth. Down 4-2, UofL swung the momentum of the game with a two-out, three-run home run by second baseman Ryan Wright in the seventh to put the Cardinals on top for the first time at 5-4.
Louisville virtually put the game out of reach in the eighth, when Adam Duvall hit a two-run single to left field and Wright added a two-run double to make it 9-4.
After Gyorko’s first home run extended his hitting streak to 12 games, Louisville’s Zak Wasserman tied the game in the bottom of the second with a two-out run-scoring single to centerfield to plate Stewart Ijames.
Freshman Matt Frazer added to WVU’s home-run barrage with a solo round-tripper to right field in the sixth inning, making it 4-1.
Redshirt junior Grant Buckner finished 3-for-4 with three singles, raising his batting average to .372. Gyorko added two hits, while junior Dom Hayes added his 22nd double of the season. Frazer and catcher Kevin Griffin each produced one hit apiece.
WVU reliever Andy Altemus (6-6) suffered the loss, allowing five earned runs on seven hits. Matt Morrone and Jared Hill each made situational appearances for the Mountaineers.
Louisville reliever Tony Zych (4-2) got the win after allowing no runs on one hit in 1.1 innings pitched.
The Mountaineers will play the loser of No. 4 St. John’s and No. 5 USF on Thursday evening at 5 p.m. at Bright House Field. The contest will air once again on WAJR, and can be heard on XM Satellite Radio (channel 203) and Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 216).
