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Freshmen Lead WVU to Win in Series Finale
April 10, 2016 08:35 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With eight freshmen in the starting lineup, the West Virginia University baseball team defeated Furman, 8-5 in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (17-13) and Paladins (13-18) traded runs in the first four innings before WVU scored three in the fifth and two in the six to open up an 8-2 advantage that it never relinquished.
After being held to 16 hits combined in the first two games of the series, WVU scored eight runs on 16 hits in Sunday’s series finale. The Mountaineer lineup featured just three players that played in both of the first two games of the series, and four of the nine starting position players and designated hitter did not play in Sunday’s opener.
“I had a lot of fun watching (this lineup) play,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “Other than the pitcher and the catcher, we had eight freshmen in there, and it’s just a lot of fun to watch those guys compete. They went out there and got 16 hits. They took advantage of an opportunity, some guys don’t get to play much. A kid named (Andrew) Zitel hit for a good average, Ivan Vera’s hitting over .400, Kyle Gray with three hits in the game. They deserve it.”
Every player recorded at least one hit, and six had two or more. The eight WVU runs were driven in by six different Mountaineers.
Second baseman Andrew Zitel led the way with a career-best three hits and two RBIs. It was his second career multi-hit game and first multi-RBI contest. In the fifth inning, his two-run double drove in the eventual game-winning run.
Center fielder Braden Zarbnisky, left fielder Kyle Gray, right fielder Darius Hill, designated hitter Ivan Vera and junior catcher Ray Guerrini all had two hits apiece. Hill joined Zitel with two RBIs.
Guerrini, who hit his third home run of the season, was joined by sophomore right-handed starter BJ Myers as the only two upperclassmen to appear in the lineup.
Myers turned in his fifth quality start of the season. In 6.2 innings, he allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Myers improved to 3-3 with his third win of the year.
Three freshmen took the mound in relief. After Endy Morales and Jacob Potock each pitched 0.2 innings, Jacob Brewer entered in the ninth and did not allow a hit while nailing down his first career save.
WVU got on the board with a run in the first on a sacrifice fly by Hill to score Zarbnisky.
Furman responded with a run in the top of the second, but the Mountaineers regained the lead with a run in the third. With two outs, freshman first baseman Marques Inman doubled and scored on Vera’s single to center field.
The Paladins again answered to tie the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth, but West Virginia rallied right back to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the inning. Courtesy of Guerrini’s homer that just cleared the wall in left field, it was a lead the Mountaineers would not surrender.
West Virginia scored three in the fifth, including the eventual game-winner. Hill singled and Inman walked, and with two outs, freshman third baseman Cole Austin singled home Hill.
Zitel followed with a double to left field, which scored Inman from second and Austin from first.
The Mountaineers tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth inning to extend their advantage to 8-2. Guerrini led off with a single and scored on Gray’s triple to the wall in left. Hill then singled to center to score Gray.
Furman scored one in the seventh and two runs in the eighth, but could get no closer.
Next up for the Mountaineers, the Backyard Brawl resumes on Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. when WVU hosts Pitt at Monongalia County Ballpark. It will be the 191st meeting between the two teams, marking the most games played among any WVU opponent. The Mountaineers are an even 3-3 against the Panthers since 2013.
NOTES: WVU improved to 17-13 on the season … Eight of the 10 starters, and 11 of the 13 Mountaineers to play in the game were freshmen … Freshman Andrew Zitel had a career-best three hits and two RBIs … Six WVU players had multi-hit games: Kyle Gray, Ray Guerrini, Darius Hill, Ivan Vera, Braden Zarbnisky and Andrew Zitel … Sophomore BJ Myers earned his third win of the season with his fifth quality start, going 6.2 innings and allowing two earned runs on six hits … Freshman Jacob Brewer earned his first career save.
Single game and flex plan 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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