West Virginia Smacks 5 Home Runs for Series Finale Win Over Kansas
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Lawrence, KS – The West Virginia Mountaineers (26-16, 9-6) smashed five home runs, capturing the three-game weekend series over the Kansas Jayhawks (18-26, 3-12) 10-8 Sunday afternoon in the series finale.
Austin Davis was delivered four straight balls for a leadoff walk to start the game, then J.J. Wetherholt flared a double into left field before Victor Scott drew a walk to load the bases. Holbrook hit into a double play however, it did score a run to give West Virginia a 1-0.
The Mountaineers tacked on another run in the second after Mikey Kluska worked a two-out walk, and he scored on a high fly ball from Tevin Tucker that drifted into the hole over first before rattling out of the glove of second baseman Tavian Josenberger.
An RBI single from Nolan Metcalf in the third put the Jayhawks on the board and within a run 2-1.
Jayhawk grabbed the lead in the fourth when Cooper McMurray and Jake English hit back-to-back doubles, and Ryan Callahan followed with a two-run shot for a three run fourth inning and the 4-2 advantage.
In the fifth, McGwire Holbrook, Nathan Blasick, and Braden Barry smashed consecutive home runs, answering with a three-run inning, and reclaiming the lead 5-4.
Tevin Tucker singled in the sixth before Austin Davis hit a high fly ball that drifted behind third base, missing the glove of shortstop Payton Allen and dropping for an RBI double, but was thrown out a third trying to stretch it into a triple.
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Grant Hussey added some cushion with a two-run bomb in the seventh, and Braden Barry broke the game open with his second two-run blast in the ninth, extending the lead to 10-5.
Noah Short came into the game in the sixth with one out and a runner standing on third. A run scored on a sacrifice ball but faced the minimum through eight. However, in the ninth with one out, he walked Dylan Ditzenberger, then Payton Allen singled before Caleb Upshaw drove a three-run home run to get the Jayhawks within two.
Short struck out another before West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey called in Kevin Dowdell to take the mound. Dowdell proceeded to walk the first batter before calling upon Trey Braithwaite to close out the inning as the Mountaineers held on 10-8.
West Virginia is back in action Friday as the Mountaineers host No. 10 Texas in the first game of a three-game series, with the first pitch set for 6:30 pm EST at Monongalia County Ballpark. Game two is scheduled for Saturday at 4:00 and the series finale is Sunday at 1:00.
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