WACO, Texas (April 30, 2023) – The West Virginia baseball team completed its second consecutive sweep as it defeated Baylor, 18-4, Sunday afternoon. The Mountaineers have now won eight straight games and improve to 33-11 overall and 11-4 in the Big 12 while the Bears fall to 15-29 and 6-15 in conference play.
Four Mountaineers hit home runs in the contest – graduate student Dayne Leonard, sophomore JJ Wetherholt, junior Landon Wallace, and finally freshman Nick Barone with a grand slam. Leonard finished the day with four RBI while Wetherholt had three hits, four runs scored, and two stolen bases. Graduate Tevin Tucker also had a big day at the plate with four hits and two runs scored.
On the mound, sophomore Grant Siegel earned his fourth win of the year with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. Redshirt-freshman David Hagaman struck out all four batters he faced while freshman Gavin Van Kempen finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
For the second straight day, the Mountaineers loaded the bases in the first inning, but this time they capitalized. Leonard opened the scoring with a two-run single before redshirt-senior Caleb McNeely knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Baylor got two runs in the second, but Leonard got them back in the third with a two-run home run to center field. It was his third of the season but first since March 5th at Richmond.
The Bears got within one again with two runs in the fourth, but once more, the Mountaineers pushed the lead back to three in the fifth as Wetherholt and Wallace hit back-to-back home runs, both of which were no-doubters. Wetherholt’s went 453 feet to right while Wallace hit his 439 feet over the batter’s eye in center.
After a run came home on a Baylor error in the seventh, West Virginia added five more in both the eighth and ninth. Wetherholt opened the scoring in the eighth with a single before three runs came home on a pop-fly single from sophomore Evan Smith. Sophomore Grant Hussey capped the inning with an RBI single.
In the ninth, Smith walked with the bases loaded before Barone put the cherry on top of the weekend sweep with a grand slam on the first pitch he saw all weekend.
The Mountaineers will return home for the Backyard Brawl on Wednesday. First pitch against Pitt is set for 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased here.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Four Mountaineers hit home runs in the contest – graduate student Dayne Leonard, sophomore JJ Wetherholt, junior Landon Wallace, and finally freshman Nick Barone with a grand slam. Leonard finished the day with four RBI while Wetherholt had three hits, four runs scored, and two stolen bases. Graduate Tevin Tucker also had a big day at the plate with four hits and two runs scored.
On the mound, sophomore Grant Siegel earned his fourth win of the year with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. Redshirt-freshman David Hagaman struck out all four batters he faced while freshman Gavin Van Kempen finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
For the second straight day, the Mountaineers loaded the bases in the first inning, but this time they capitalized. Leonard opened the scoring with a two-run single before redshirt-senior Caleb McNeely knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Baylor got two runs in the second, but Leonard got them back in the third with a two-run home run to center field. It was his third of the season but first since March 5th at Richmond.
The Bears got within one again with two runs in the fourth, but once more, the Mountaineers pushed the lead back to three in the fifth as Wetherholt and Wallace hit back-to-back home runs, both of which were no-doubters. Wetherholt’s went 453 feet to right while Wallace hit his 439 feet over the batter’s eye in center.
After a run came home on a Baylor error in the seventh, West Virginia added five more in both the eighth and ninth. Wetherholt opened the scoring in the eighth with a single before three runs came home on a pop-fly single from sophomore Evan Smith. Sophomore Grant Hussey capped the inning with an RBI single.
In the ninth, Smith walked with the bases loaded before Barone put the cherry on top of the weekend sweep with a grand slam on the first pitch he saw all weekend.
The Mountaineers will return home for the Backyard Brawl on Wednesday. First pitch against Pitt is set for 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased here.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
