Mountaineers Shut Out CMU, Stay Unbeaten
LINK: https://wvusports.co/3h2Bso4
BOX SCORE: https://wvusports.co/3H4lZOS
SEASON STATS: https://wvusports.co/3gYOpz1
CONWAY, S.C. (Feb. 20, 2022) – The West Virginia University baseball team earned a 10-0, shutout victory over No. 16 Central Michigan on Sunday at the Baseball at the Beach event at Springs Brooks Stadium.
The Mountaineers (3-0) led wire-to-wire, tallying 15 total hits, including eight for extra bases. WVU scored one in the first, three in the second, two in the third, two in the fifth and one each in the seventh and eighth.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Chris Sleeper was credited with the win in his first collegiate start, while Logan Buczkowski took the loss for CMU.
The Chippewas (0-3) were held to just four hits by Mountaineer pitching.
“We had four freshman throw a shutout today,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We also had six guys come off the bench and get a base hit, which is really hard to do. Hitting is a lot easier if you get in a rhythm. As a coach, those things give you some valuable options late in games knowing that guys are capable of doing that.”
For the third straight day to open the season, the Mountaineers took a first-inning lead, thanks to an RBI double off the bat of junior outfielder Victor Scott II. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native scored freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt, who tripled earlier in the frame.
WVU kept the pressure on in the second, scoring three more runs to make it 4-0. After Wetherholt hit a two-run single, the Mountaineers executed a double steal, as redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker stole home.
On the mound, Sleeper was strong out of the gate, striking out four in his first three innings of work. He finished his Mountaineer debut with five punchouts in five innings, while allowing just two hits and no runs.
In the bottom of the third, sophomore infielder Mikey Kluska brought two more runs home on a double down the left-field line to extend the lead to 6-0.
Kluska tallied another RBI in the fifth with a ground-rule double. Then, redshirt junior catcher Dayne Leonard followed suit, sending Kluska home on an RBI double of his own.
The Mountaineers led, 8-0, after five.
Following Sleeper’s exit, freshman right-hander Michael Kilker pitched a pair of scoreless frames out of the WVU bullpen in the sixth and seventh, recording three strikeouts. He was followed by freshman righties Trent Hodgdon and Aidan Major, who each pitched a scoreless inning in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
Sophomore outfielder Braden Barry hit a pinch-hit, RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-0. In all, the Mountaineers combined to hit seven doubles on the day.
WVU’s final run came in the eighth when junior left-handed pitcher/outfielder Kevin Dowdell scorched a ball to the outfield, scoring freshman outfielder Tyler Cox.
Eleven different Mountaineers recorded a hit in the win. Kluska finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, while Wetherholt drove in two on a 2-for-4 day. Freshman infielder Grant Hussey and sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook also tallied two hits.
With the win, the Mountaineers continued their best start to a season since 2012. The club has scored 31 total runs in its first three games of the year.
Next up, WVU concludes its first trip of the season with a meeting with event host Coastal Carolina on Monday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. ET, at Springs Brooks Stadium.
LINK: https://wvusports.co/3h2Bso4
BOX SCORE: https://wvusports.co/3H4lZOS
SEASON STATS: https://wvusports.co/3gYOpz1
CONWAY, S.C. (Feb. 20, 2022) – The West Virginia University baseball team earned a 10-0, shutout victory over No. 16 Central Michigan on Sunday at the Baseball at the Beach event at Springs Brooks Stadium.
The Mountaineers (3-0) led wire-to-wire, tallying 15 total hits, including eight for extra bases. WVU scored one in the first, three in the second, two in the third, two in the fifth and one each in the seventh and eighth.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Chris Sleeper was credited with the win in his first collegiate start, while Logan Buczkowski took the loss for CMU.
The Chippewas (0-3) were held to just four hits by Mountaineer pitching.
“We had four freshman throw a shutout today,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We also had six guys come off the bench and get a base hit, which is really hard to do. Hitting is a lot easier if you get in a rhythm. As a coach, those things give you some valuable options late in games knowing that guys are capable of doing that.”
For the third straight day to open the season, the Mountaineers took a first-inning lead, thanks to an RBI double off the bat of junior outfielder Victor Scott II. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native scored freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt, who tripled earlier in the frame.
WVU kept the pressure on in the second, scoring three more runs to make it 4-0. After Wetherholt hit a two-run single, the Mountaineers executed a double steal, as redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker stole home.
On the mound, Sleeper was strong out of the gate, striking out four in his first three innings of work. He finished his Mountaineer debut with five punchouts in five innings, while allowing just two hits and no runs.
In the bottom of the third, sophomore infielder Mikey Kluska brought two more runs home on a double down the left-field line to extend the lead to 6-0.
Kluska tallied another RBI in the fifth with a ground-rule double. Then, redshirt junior catcher Dayne Leonard followed suit, sending Kluska home on an RBI double of his own.
The Mountaineers led, 8-0, after five.
Following Sleeper’s exit, freshman right-hander Michael Kilker pitched a pair of scoreless frames out of the WVU bullpen in the sixth and seventh, recording three strikeouts. He was followed by freshman righties Trent Hodgdon and Aidan Major, who each pitched a scoreless inning in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
Sophomore outfielder Braden Barry hit a pinch-hit, RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-0. In all, the Mountaineers combined to hit seven doubles on the day.
WVU’s final run came in the eighth when junior left-handed pitcher/outfielder Kevin Dowdell scorched a ball to the outfield, scoring freshman outfielder Tyler Cox.
Eleven different Mountaineers recorded a hit in the win. Kluska finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, while Wetherholt drove in two on a 2-for-4 day. Freshman infielder Grant Hussey and sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook also tallied two hits.
With the win, the Mountaineers continued their best start to a season since 2012. The club has scored 31 total runs in its first three games of the year.
Next up, WVU concludes its first trip of the season with a meeting with event host Coastal Carolina on Monday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. ET, at Springs Brooks Stadium.
