MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team opened a two-game, midweek series against Penn State with a 6-5 loss on Tuesday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (27-20) recorded 11 hits, but were held to five runs, while the Nittany Lions (15-32) scored their six runs on six hits. WVU stranded eight runners on base, while PSU left five on.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. First pitch at the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates is set for 7 p.m. ET.
On a cool Tuesday night in Morgantown in front of 1,702 fans, sophomore third baseman
Cole Austin was one of four Mountaineers with two hits and had an RBI and three runs scored. He hit his sixth home run of the season to lead off the eighth inning, a shot that tied the game at 5-5.
Sophomore third baseman
Darius Hill also had two hits and an RBI in the contest.
Senior right-handed reliever
Jackson Sigman had another strong relief outing, pitching the final 4.1 innings and holding Penn State to one run on no hits with four strikeouts and two walks after PSU scored five runs on six hits in the first 4.2 innings. Sigman suffered is fourth loss of the season.
West Virginia got on the board with a run in the first inning, on a two-out RBI single by Hill.
Penn State answered with a three-run home run in the top of the 2nd to take a 3-1 lead off of freshman right-handed starter
Carter Camp.
The Mountaineers cut into the lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly. Austin was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced to second on a single. A double steal put runners on second and third, before freshman center fielder
Brandon White sacrificed home Austin.
PSU answered with two runs on three hits in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to 5-2. Sigman entered with two on and two outs and got the final out of the inning to limit any further damage.
WVU was retired in order in the bottom of the fifth, and Sigman pitched a perfect sixth. The Mountaineers followed with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to again cut into the deficit, making it 5-4.
Three consecutive singles opened the inning to load the bases. A double play followed, with the second out at home. Sophomore shortstop
Jimmy Galusky then single to right-center to bring in two runs.
Sigman got a pair of strikeouts and a caught-stealing in the seventh, and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning to keep it a one-run game. That allowed West Virginia to tie it up in the eighth inning at 5-5, thanks to Austin's towering solo home run to left field.
However, the Nittany Lions answered to regain the lead, at 6-5, in the top of the ninth, on a fielder's choice with one out.
West Virginia threatened to tie it in the bottom of the ninth, when senior pinch-hitter
Jackson Cramer launched a ball down the right-field line that fell just foul. With two outs, sophomore designated hitter
Braden Zarbnisky singled, but a flyout ended the game.
Tickets are available to tomorrow's game in Pittsburgh, at
Pirates.com/CollegeBaseball or on gameday at PNC Park. Online, fans can purchase tickets for $7 in advance of gameday by using the promo code "WVU."
Fans can listen to the game on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state, online at WVUsports.com, on the Mountaineer Gameday App and the TuneInRadio App.
Dan Zangrilli and Ernie Galusky will call the action. Links to the radio broadcast and live stats can be found on the
baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Additional behind-the-scenes updates, news and notes from PNC Park can be found on social media by following and connecting with the team at @WVUBaseball on
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram.
NOTES: West Virginia falls to 27-20 on the season …
Cole Austin hit his sixth home run of the season in the eighth inning … With one hit and two walks,
Kyle Davis extended his hitting streak to a season-best and team-high 17 games … The Mountaineers play at PNC Park for the first time in program history tomorrow, and play on the home field of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time since 1998, a 9-8 win over rival Pitt at Three Rivers Stadium.
Single game tickets, flex plan tickets and mini packs for the 2017 WVU baseball season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, going to
WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office in the WVU Coliseum. The 2017 schedule is available on
WVUsports.com.
