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Mountaineers Drop Opener in Hawaii
March 04, 2016 03:29 AM | Baseball
HONOLULU – The West Virginia University baseball team saw its five game winning streak come to an end with a 4-1 loss at Hawaii in the series opener on Thursday night at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu.
The Mountaineers (5-2) scored one run on seven hits, while the Rainbow Warriors (5-5) recorded four runs on seven hits. The loss was WVU’s first since the season-opener, and also the first time since its first game that West Virginia trailed in a contest.
Junior right-hander Chad Donato suffered the loss. Two runners reached in the first inning and he gave up two runs in the second, but he recovered to face the minimum the next four innings. Donato pitched 6.1 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits. He had seven strikeouts with five walks.
“Just when you think you have it good and you’re playing well, this game will humble you in a hurry,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We didn’t have a great approach at the plate, and Chad Donato was uncharacteristic on the mound. He waked five guys, most of them in the early innings, and they took advantage of it. But, good teams bounce back from stuff like this, and we’ll come back tomorrow ready to play, I’m sure.”
WVU made Hawaii’s Brendan Hornung work on the mound. Through five innings, the right-hander threw 80 pitches. West Virginia sent four batters to the plate in the first, third and fourth innings before the Mountaineers got a pair of hits in the fifth.
Hornung lasted seven innings, allowing no runs on four hits. He struck out six and walked one.
Despite several hard-hit balls, the Mountaineers were unable to string together enough hits to plate a run.
It was after Hornung left that WVU got on the board, in the eighth with Cody Culp on the mound. With one out, freshman right fielder Darius Hill hit the hardest-hit ball of the day to right center, on a ball that bounced off the warning track as Hill reached second four a stand-up double. Two batters later, junior first baseman Jackson Cramer singled to right field to score Hill.
That was the extent of WVU’s eighth-inning rally, and despite a one-out single by senior center fielder KC Huth, the Mountaineers could not add on in the ninth. Huth led WVU with two hits.
WVU had a hit in the second inning, two in the fifth and one in the seventh before the two-hit, one-run eighth inning. Freshman designated hitter Marques Inman, making his first career start, singled to lead off the seventh inning for his first career hit.
Hawaii scored first with two runs in the bottom of the second. It was the first time this season WVU’s opponent plated the first runs of the game. UH benefited from two walks, two singles and a passed ball to score its two runs. The first run came on a groundout, while the second was the result of a two-out single with runners on the corners.
After the two-run second though, Donato shut down the Rainbow Warriors in order in the third, fifth and sixth inning, and a double play in the fourth helped only three batters step to the plate.
However, Hawaii added to their lead in the seventh. A walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out, which resulted in a pitching change. Sophomore right-hander Conner Dotson relieved Donato on the mound and induced a sacrifice fly to score one before a strikeout ended the inning.
After WVU scored one in the eighth, UH responded with one in the bottom of the frame.
The four game series continues on Friday and Saturday at 11:35 p.m. ET/6:35 p.m. HT at UH’s Les Murakami Stadium. The series concludes at 6:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. HT on Sunday. Live stats and a radio feed can be found at HawaiiAthletics.com. Additional updates and notes from the team’s trip to Hawai’i will be available on social media by following and connecting with the team at @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
NOTES: Thursday marked the first ever meeting between WVU and UH and the Mountaineers’ first ever trip to the state of Hawaii … WVU’s five game winning streak was snapped with the loss … Hawaii’s two runs in the second inning marked the first time this season WVU’s opponent scored the first run of the game … Freshman Marques Inman made his first career start, and his leadoff single in the seventh inning was his first career hit … Junior Chad Donato pitched 6.1 innings, allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits with five walks and seven strikeouts.
Season and 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.
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