Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers Fall to Duke in Winner’s Bracket Contest
June 01, 2019 11:21 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two first-inning runs proved to be the difference as the No. 15-seeded and 13th-ranked West Virginia University baseball team lost to third-seeded Duke, 4-0, in a winner's bracket game in the NCAA Morgantown Regional on Saturday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.
In front of another lively crowd of 4,258, the second-largest home crowd in program history, the Mountaineers (38-21) fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and trailed 4-0 in the third. The Blue Devils (33-25) held WVU to six hits in the shutout, as they scored their four runs on four hits, all in the first three innings.
With the loss, West Virginia advances to play second-seeded and No. 17-ranked Texas A&M in an elimination game on Sunday, at noon ET.
"(It was a) tough game today," WVU assistant coach Steve Sabins said. "I thought we got outside of ourselves a little bit. Again, the atmosphere was unbelievable. The fans have absolutely brought the energy here for two straight days. It's been really fun to be part of that. I think we're all starting to realize that's what West Virginia baseball can be. It's been a blast to play. (It) didn't go our way tonight, but we get an opportunity to go play some more baseball tomorrow."
Junior right-hander Alek Manoah suffered the loss and falls to 9-4 on the season. In 6.0 innings, he allowed four runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and four walks. Junior right-handed reliever Dillon Meadows pitched 2.0 hitless innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
Senior right fielder Darius Hill led the team with three hits, including a double. The double was the 78th of his career, extending his WVU record and putting him one shy of tying the Big 12 Conference record of 79.
West Virginia put two on with two outs in the top of the first, on a single by Hill and a fielding error, but a flyout ended the inning.
Duke took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half, thanks to an RBI triple to center and a run-scoring wild pitch with two outs.
With the help of a double play, Manoah faced the minimum in the second. The Blue Devils made it 4-0 in the third, as three walks loaded the bases. With two outs, the first run scored on a fielder's choice as the throw went home, and the second came on a single to center.
Manoah retired the next six he faced before he escaped a jam in the sixth inning. An error and a hit batter put two on with no outs, but the junior right-hander struck out the next three he faced to end the inning and strand a pair.
Meanwhile, the Mountaineers had two hits in the third, on singles by sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes and Hill, but could not score. WVU left a runner on in the fourth, as senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez singled with two outs.
In the sixth, Hill doubled with one out, but was stranded at third. In the seventh, junior left fielder TJ Lake singled with two outs before a strikeout ended the inning.
Meadows relieved Manoah to start the seventh and retired the side in order. He faced the minimum again in the eighth, with the help of a Gonzalez, who threw out a runner at second.
In the ninth, West Virginia went down in order against the Duke bullpen, with two strikeouts.
With the loss, West Virginia will play second-seeded and No. 17-ranked Texas A&M in an elimination game on Sunday, at noon ET. The winner will advance to the regional final to face Duke at 6 p.m. Sunday's game will be streamed on WatchESPN, while fans can listen to the games on the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College on various affiliates throughout the state. 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 NCAA.com. Direct links to video and radio streams and live stats are available on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Notes: West Virginia is making its 13th NCAA Championship appearance in program history and is hosting the event for the second time in program history (1955) … WVU falls to 11-25 all-time in NCAA play and 2-3 at home … The Mountaineers are 38-21 on the season, 18-6 at home, 25-10 in non-conference play and 4-3 in the postseason … Tonight's attendance was 4,258, the second-largest home crowd in program history … Darius Hill hit his 78th career double in the sixth inning to extend his school record and move one shy of tying the Big 12 record of 79.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
In front of another lively crowd of 4,258, the second-largest home crowd in program history, the Mountaineers (38-21) fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and trailed 4-0 in the third. The Blue Devils (33-25) held WVU to six hits in the shutout, as they scored their four runs on four hits, all in the first three innings.
With the loss, West Virginia advances to play second-seeded and No. 17-ranked Texas A&M in an elimination game on Sunday, at noon ET.
"(It was a) tough game today," WVU assistant coach Steve Sabins said. "I thought we got outside of ourselves a little bit. Again, the atmosphere was unbelievable. The fans have absolutely brought the energy here for two straight days. It's been really fun to be part of that. I think we're all starting to realize that's what West Virginia baseball can be. It's been a blast to play. (It) didn't go our way tonight, but we get an opportunity to go play some more baseball tomorrow."
Junior right-hander Alek Manoah suffered the loss and falls to 9-4 on the season. In 6.0 innings, he allowed four runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and four walks. Junior right-handed reliever Dillon Meadows pitched 2.0 hitless innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
Senior right fielder Darius Hill led the team with three hits, including a double. The double was the 78th of his career, extending his WVU record and putting him one shy of tying the Big 12 Conference record of 79.
West Virginia put two on with two outs in the top of the first, on a single by Hill and a fielding error, but a flyout ended the inning.
Duke took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half, thanks to an RBI triple to center and a run-scoring wild pitch with two outs.
With the help of a double play, Manoah faced the minimum in the second. The Blue Devils made it 4-0 in the third, as three walks loaded the bases. With two outs, the first run scored on a fielder's choice as the throw went home, and the second came on a single to center.
Manoah retired the next six he faced before he escaped a jam in the sixth inning. An error and a hit batter put two on with no outs, but the junior right-hander struck out the next three he faced to end the inning and strand a pair.
Meanwhile, the Mountaineers had two hits in the third, on singles by sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes and Hill, but could not score. WVU left a runner on in the fourth, as senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez singled with two outs.
In the sixth, Hill doubled with one out, but was stranded at third. In the seventh, junior left fielder TJ Lake singled with two outs before a strikeout ended the inning.
Meadows relieved Manoah to start the seventh and retired the side in order. He faced the minimum again in the eighth, with the help of a Gonzalez, who threw out a runner at second.
In the ninth, West Virginia went down in order against the Duke bullpen, with two strikeouts.
With the loss, West Virginia will play second-seeded and No. 17-ranked Texas A&M in an elimination game on Sunday, at noon ET. The winner will advance to the regional final to face Duke at 6 p.m. Sunday's game will be streamed on WatchESPN, while fans can listen to the games on the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College on various affiliates throughout the state. 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 NCAA.com. Direct links to video and radio streams and live stats are available on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Notes: West Virginia is making its 13th NCAA Championship appearance in program history and is hosting the event for the second time in program history (1955) … WVU falls to 11-25 all-time in NCAA play and 2-3 at home … The Mountaineers are 38-21 on the season, 18-6 at home, 25-10 in non-conference play and 4-3 in the postseason … Tonight's attendance was 4,258, the second-largest home crowd in program history … Darius Hill hit his 78th career double in the sixth inning to extend his school record and move one shy of tying the Big 12 record of 79.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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