LAWRENCE, Kan. (March 25, 2016) – Junior right-hander Chad Donato threw seven shutout innings to lead the West Virginia University baseball team to a 1-0 win at Kansas on Friday in the series opener at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 1-3 Big 12) notched their third shutout of the season as the WVU pitching staff held the Jayhawks (7-12, 0-1) to seven hits.
“We’d lost four in a row, so to come out here tonight and get in a game like that, that’s a really good character-builder for our guys,” said WVU coach Randy Mazey. “A Big 12 game on the road on a Friday night and (KU starter Ben) Krauth was as good as advertised, if not better. We just found a way to grind it out.
“We pitched really well, Chad got his first win, deservedly so. We played unbelievable defense, young guys all over the field making great plays, and that was a really good game, pitching and defense.”
Donato was brilliant on the mound and earned his first win of the season. In 7.0 shutout innings, he held KU to five hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
West Virginia was held to just four hits, but a two-hit second inning capped with an RBI single by freshman shortstop Jimmy Galusky was all the offense WVU would need.
For Kansas, Krauth matched Donato and pitched 8.0 innings and gave up one run on three hits with 12 strikeouts and four walks.
Defensively for the Mountaineers, freshman right fielder Darius Hill and freshman second baseman Kyle Gray made highlight-reel plays to help Donato, who faced more than four batters in just two innings, the third and sixth.
After Donato exited the game, senior closer Blake Smith came in to get the final six outs of the game. He earned his third save of the season while striking out two and giving up two hits.
The Mountaineers’ lone run came in the second inning, with two outs. Senior center fielder KC Huth singled and scored from second two batters later on Galusky’s single to left.
The Mountaineers had a chance to add to their lead in the fourth, when two runners reached, and fifth, when the bases were loaded. A double play ended the fourth inning. In the fifth, KU loaded the bases with two outs but got a strikeout to end the frame. WVU also left a runner on in the seventh and ninth innings.
The victory snapped a four game losing streak for the Mountaineers and was WVU’s first Big 12 win of the season.
The series continues on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. First pitch of Sunday’s series finale has been moved up by 30 minutes and will now be at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT.
A live video stream can be found on
ESPN3.com and the Watch ESPN app. Jeff Culhane will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state. The radio broadcast can also be found online at
WVUsports.com or on the TuneIn Radio App and the Mountaineer Gameday App. Live stats will be available at
KUathletics.com. Additional updates and notes from Lawrence, Kansas, can be found on social media by following and connecting with the team at @WVUBaseball on
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram.
NOTES: WVU improved to 11-8 on the season and 1-3 in Big 12 play … WVU evened the all-time series vs. Kansas at 6-6 … The Mountaineers snapped a four game losing streak … Freshman Braden Zarbnisky made his first career start, while fellow freshman Kyle Gray made his 16th start of the year, but the first in the infield, at second base … Junior Jackson Cramer was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, extending his reached base streak to a team-high 39 games … Junior Chad Donato pitched 7.0 innings to earn the win, allowing no runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk and it was his third quality start of the year … Senior Blake Smith got the final five outs of the game and earned his third save of the season.
Single game tickets for the 2016 WVU baseball season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and contribute to the home field advantage at Monongalia County Ballpark by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, purchasing tickets at
WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. More information on season tickets and the 30-game home schedule can be found at
WVUsports.com, while single game ticket information is available
here.
