Dowdell, Holbrook Clutch in Walk-Off Win
LINK: https://wvusports.co/3w6C4Qt
BOX SCORE: https://wvusports.co/3OYDIwf
SEASON STATS: https://wvusports.co/3w81ihB
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (May 4, 2022) – The West Virginia University baseball team took down Charleston (W.Va.), 3-2, in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Down, 2-1, the Mountaineers (27-16) put together a late rally, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to claim the in-state victory. Junior outfielder/left-handed pitcher Kevin Dowdell and sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook provided clutch hits down the stretch to aid in the walk-off win.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Daniel Ouderkirk earned the win on the mound, his first of the year, while Charleston’s Cole Peschl took the loss.
“That was a really good game,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We didn’t play bad. We pitched pretty well, only had two walks, struck them out about 14 times, played good defense, got nine hits – we just left a lot of guys on base. But we played pretty well, and they played pretty well and were super excited to play against us.
“I appreciate (Charleston) for coming up here. We don’t get to play teams from the state very often, so when we do, it’s a pretty cool experience for everybody.”
Freshman right-hander Will Watson made his first career start for the Mountaineers on Wednesday. He struck out the side to begin the game and followed it up with a scoreless second inning.
From there, freshman right-hander Michael Kilker punched out all three Golden Eagles (30-14) he saw in the third, while freshman right-hander Aidan Major got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the fourth and went on to log 3.1 innings of work.
WVU broke through with a run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. Senior outfielder Austin Davis slapped an RBI infield single to plate the first run of the game.
It stayed that way until the top of the seventh, when UC took the lead with a two-run frame.
Trailing by a run in the ninth, Dowdell led WVU off with a pinch-hit, solo home run to right field to tie the game at 2. The big fly marked the first of his Mountaineer career.
Then, WVU won the game on a walk-off, RBI single by Holbrook. The triumph marked the squad’s eighth win in the ninth inning or later this season.
Holbrook finished 2-for-4 in the win, while freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt, who scored the game-winning run for West Virginia, also tallied a two-hit night for the Mountaineers. On the mound, six WVU pitchers combined to throw 14 strikeouts with just two walks.
Ouderkirk entered in the ninth inning and allowed two hits but struck out three without yielding a run to keep it a one-run game.
With the win, West Virginia has now won 30 of its last 32 midweek, home games at Monongalia County Ballpark. The club also improved to 12-4 at home this season.
Up next, the Mountaineers return to Big 12 Conference play with a three-game series against No. 18 Texas, presented by Humana, from May 6-8, in Morgantown. First pitch of Friday’s series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
LINK: https://wvusports.co/3w6C4Qt
BOX SCORE: https://wvusports.co/3OYDIwf
SEASON STATS: https://wvusports.co/3w81ihB
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (May 4, 2022) – The West Virginia University baseball team took down Charleston (W.Va.), 3-2, in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Down, 2-1, the Mountaineers (27-16) put together a late rally, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to claim the in-state victory. Junior outfielder/left-handed pitcher Kevin Dowdell and sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook provided clutch hits down the stretch to aid in the walk-off win.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Daniel Ouderkirk earned the win on the mound, his first of the year, while Charleston’s Cole Peschl took the loss.
“That was a really good game,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We didn’t play bad. We pitched pretty well, only had two walks, struck them out about 14 times, played good defense, got nine hits – we just left a lot of guys on base. But we played pretty well, and they played pretty well and were super excited to play against us.
“I appreciate (Charleston) for coming up here. We don’t get to play teams from the state very often, so when we do, it’s a pretty cool experience for everybody.”
Freshman right-hander Will Watson made his first career start for the Mountaineers on Wednesday. He struck out the side to begin the game and followed it up with a scoreless second inning.
From there, freshman right-hander Michael Kilker punched out all three Golden Eagles (30-14) he saw in the third, while freshman right-hander Aidan Major got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the fourth and went on to log 3.1 innings of work.
WVU broke through with a run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. Senior outfielder Austin Davis slapped an RBI infield single to plate the first run of the game.
It stayed that way until the top of the seventh, when UC took the lead with a two-run frame.
Trailing by a run in the ninth, Dowdell led WVU off with a pinch-hit, solo home run to right field to tie the game at 2. The big fly marked the first of his Mountaineer career.
Then, WVU won the game on a walk-off, RBI single by Holbrook. The triumph marked the squad’s eighth win in the ninth inning or later this season.
Holbrook finished 2-for-4 in the win, while freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt, who scored the game-winning run for West Virginia, also tallied a two-hit night for the Mountaineers. On the mound, six WVU pitchers combined to throw 14 strikeouts with just two walks.
Ouderkirk entered in the ninth inning and allowed two hits but struck out three without yielding a run to keep it a one-run game.
With the win, West Virginia has now won 30 of its last 32 midweek, home games at Monongalia County Ballpark. The club also improved to 12-4 at home this season.
Up next, the Mountaineers return to Big 12 Conference play with a three-game series against No. 18 Texas, presented by Humana, from May 6-8, in Morgantown. First pitch of Friday’s series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
