MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 6, 2022) – The West Virginia University baseball team took down in-state foe Marshall, 17-8, on Wednesday afternoon at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (17-10) tallied 16 hits and scored three or more runs in three different innings. Senior right-handed pitcher Zach Ottinger earned the win, his first of the year, while Chad Heiner took the loss for Marshall.
The victory marked WVU’s 100th win at Monongalia County Ballpark, which opened in 2015.
“If you ever want to have a good season and play in the postseason, then you have to win these games,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We’ve done a really good job of that in the recent past.
“It’s good to win these games. (Marshall is) trying as hard as they can to beat us, and they’ve done it in the past. It’s not who the best team is, it’s the team that plays the best. They had us down, 4-0, and if they would’ve thrown up one more big inning, it could’ve gone the other way.”
WVU fell behind early, allowing a run to the Thundering Herd (13-16-1) in the second and three more in the third. Trailing, 4-0, the Mountaineers got on the board in the bottom of the third on sophomore infielder JJ Wetherholt’s RBI double to cut the deficit to three.
Then, West Virginia erupted with seven runs in the fourth to take an 8-4 lead. The hosts sent 12 hitters to the plate in the frame, scoring on sophomore infielder Mikey Kluska’s two-run double, redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker’s RBI triple, senior outfielder Austin Davis’ RBI single, Wetherholt’s RBI double and sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook’s two-run single.
Of note, all seven runs in the inning came with two outs.
Six more runs crossed home for West Virginia in the bottom of the seventh. Two of those scored on wild pitches, while Marshall also walked in two runs. Additionally, Tucker recorded an RBI groundout and Davis added his second RBI of the day with a single to right.
But West Virginia wasn’t done there. The squad also tallied three, eighth-inning runs to lead, 17-4. Marshall walked two more batters in, before sophomore infielder Nathan Blasick capped the WVU scoring with a sacrifice fly to right.
In all, the Mountaineers scored 17 runs in a row at one point, before the Herd tallied four in the ninth.
WVU finished with six players with multi-hit performances, led by Wetherholt’s 4-for-5 day at the plate. The Mars, Pennsylvania, native also had three RBI in the win. Davis chipped in with three hits and three runs to go along with his two RBI.
Holbrook, Kluska and Tucker also had two RBI.
On the mound, the Mountaineers used 10 different pitchers on Wednesday. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Strechay got the start, allowing one run on three hits with a strikeout in 2.0 innings of work. In relief, Ottinger had a pair of strikeouts in 2.0 innings, while sophomore right-hander Carlson Reed fanned two in an inning of action.
With the win, WVU extended its midweek, home win streak to 22 games, dating back to April 3, 2017. It also moved to 52-25 all-time against Marshall, with wins in 12 of the last 13 meetings.
Next up, the Mountaineers return to Big 12 Conference action with a three-game series against Baylor, from April 8-10, in Morgantown. First pitch of Friday night’s series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (17-10) tallied 16 hits and scored three or more runs in three different innings. Senior right-handed pitcher Zach Ottinger earned the win, his first of the year, while Chad Heiner took the loss for Marshall.
The victory marked WVU’s 100th win at Monongalia County Ballpark, which opened in 2015.
“If you ever want to have a good season and play in the postseason, then you have to win these games,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We’ve done a really good job of that in the recent past.
“It’s good to win these games. (Marshall is) trying as hard as they can to beat us, and they’ve done it in the past. It’s not who the best team is, it’s the team that plays the best. They had us down, 4-0, and if they would’ve thrown up one more big inning, it could’ve gone the other way.”
WVU fell behind early, allowing a run to the Thundering Herd (13-16-1) in the second and three more in the third. Trailing, 4-0, the Mountaineers got on the board in the bottom of the third on sophomore infielder JJ Wetherholt’s RBI double to cut the deficit to three.
Then, West Virginia erupted with seven runs in the fourth to take an 8-4 lead. The hosts sent 12 hitters to the plate in the frame, scoring on sophomore infielder Mikey Kluska’s two-run double, redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker’s RBI triple, senior outfielder Austin Davis’ RBI single, Wetherholt’s RBI double and sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook’s two-run single.
Of note, all seven runs in the inning came with two outs.
Six more runs crossed home for West Virginia in the bottom of the seventh. Two of those scored on wild pitches, while Marshall also walked in two runs. Additionally, Tucker recorded an RBI groundout and Davis added his second RBI of the day with a single to right.
But West Virginia wasn’t done there. The squad also tallied three, eighth-inning runs to lead, 17-4. Marshall walked two more batters in, before sophomore infielder Nathan Blasick capped the WVU scoring with a sacrifice fly to right.
In all, the Mountaineers scored 17 runs in a row at one point, before the Herd tallied four in the ninth.
WVU finished with six players with multi-hit performances, led by Wetherholt’s 4-for-5 day at the plate. The Mars, Pennsylvania, native also had three RBI in the win. Davis chipped in with three hits and three runs to go along with his two RBI.
Holbrook, Kluska and Tucker also had two RBI.
On the mound, the Mountaineers used 10 different pitchers on Wednesday. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Strechay got the start, allowing one run on three hits with a strikeout in 2.0 innings of work. In relief, Ottinger had a pair of strikeouts in 2.0 innings, while sophomore right-hander Carlson Reed fanned two in an inning of action.
With the win, WVU extended its midweek, home win streak to 22 games, dating back to April 3, 2017. It also moved to 52-25 all-time against Marshall, with wins in 12 of the last 13 meetings.
Next up, the Mountaineers return to Big 12 Conference action with a three-game series against Baylor, from April 8-10, in Morgantown. First pitch of Friday night’s series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark.
