Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team advanced to the title game of the Big 12 Championship with a 2-0, shutout victory of No. 7 Texas Tech on Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.
 
The fourth-seeded Mountaineers (37-19) held the top-seeded Red Raiders (39-17) to just one hit in the shutout win. With the victory, WVU will play in the Big 12 Championship Game for the second time in program history and the first time since 2016.
 
The title game is set for Sunday, at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT, against the winner of the second semifinal between Oklahoma State and TCU. That semifinal has been postponed to Sunday at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT, due to inclement weather in the area Saturday night following West Virginia's win.
 
Freshmen right-handers Ryan Bergert and Zach Ottinger combined for the one-hit shutout. Bergert made his first career start and held TTU hitless into the fifth inning, and Ottinger did not allow a hit in 4.0 innings.
 
"It's obvious when I say this, these two guys (Bergert and Ottinger), what they did tonight, it's what older kids are supposed to do," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "These are two freshmen one-hitting one of the best offensive teams in the country, if not the best offensive team in the country, and no walks, just attacking hitters all night long. In Berg's first start of the year to do what he did, and then Otter, as we call him, to come in and give us four innings after that and go 3-0 on (Texas Tech outfielder) Gabe Holt to lead off the ninth and to come back and get him out. Words can't express how proud I am of these guys. You're getting ready to see some fiery personalities come out of these guys here in just a second. But what they lack in volume when they speak, they make up for it with the way they pitch. They've been doing this really all year long. I keep telling these guys, in a tournament situation like this, you never know when you're going to be needed, and they were needed in maybe the biggest game in the history of our program and stepped up and did yeomen's work."
 
Bergert retired the first 13 batters he faced and allowed just one hit with four strikeouts and no walks in a career-long 5.0 innings. He earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the season. Ottinger was just as dominant in the final 4.0 innings and did not allow a hit. He struck out three, had no walks and collected his first career save.
 
The duo combined to allow just three baserunners on the night, only two of which reached second base.
 
Offensively, junior center fielder Brandon White had three of West Virginia's six hits and added a run scored. He also made a fantastic inning-ending, run-saving catch in the fifth inning, with two on and two outs.
 
Bergert's night started with a perfect first inning, with two strikeouts, and he retired the side in order in the second.
 
The Mountaineers took a 1-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by senior right fielder Darius Hill, which drove in sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes, who singled.
 
Bergert added a 1-2-3 third inning and needed just six pitches to put down the Red Raiders in the fourth. A strikeout began the fifth, the 13th in a row retired by Bergert to open the game, before a single and hit batter put two on. However, WVU escaped the jam with a popout in foul territory and a fantastic inning-ending catch by White.
 
West Virginia added to its lead with a run in the sixth, as White led off the frame with a single, stole second and advanced to third on an error by TTU's catcher on the throw to second. After a walk, White scored on a double play groundout to make it 2-0.
 
Ottinger relieved Bergert and threw a 1-2-3 sixth inning and followed it with a perfect seventh. In the eighth, a runner reached on a throwing error and took second with one out, but Ottinger got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.
 
With the win, the Mountaineers advance to the Big 12 Championship Game for the second time in four seasons. First pitch on Sunday, April 26, is set for 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT. WVU will face the winner of the second semifinal, between No. 3-seed Oklahoma State and No. 6-seed TCU, which has been postponed to Sunday morning, at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT.
 
The championship game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Networks and on FOX Sports GO to subscribers. Fans can listen to the games on the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College on various affiliates throughout the state, while fans across the country can tune into the broadcast online at WVUsports.com/Watch and on the WVU Gameday and TuneIn Radio Apps. Live stats can be found at Big12Sports.com. Direct links to video and radio streams and live stats are available on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
 
Notes: West Virginia improve to 37-19 on the season, 3-1 at a neutral site and 9-6 against top-25 teams … WVU advances to the Big 12 Championship Game for the second time in program history (2016) … West Virginia is 13-11 all-time at the Big 12 Championship and 10-6 since 2016 … The Mountaineers are 8-4 as a No. 4 seed at the Big 12 Championship, 4-1 against No. 1 seeds and 5-1 against Texas Tech … The Mountaineers have won 10 of their last 12 games … WVU's 37 wins are tied for second-most in program history (1998, 2009) … West Virginia pitchers had seven strikeouts and have 550 on the season to extend its program record … Mountaineer hitters drew three walks to bring their season total to 240, tied for second-most in the WVU record books … Darius Hill extended his school records for career games played (231), starts (231) and at-bats (926) … Ivan Gonzalez moves into a tie for fifth place in WVU history in career games played (207) and remains in sixth in at-bats (738) and games started (195) and tied for ninth in hits (225).
 
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