BUIES CREEK, N.C. (March 20, 2022) – The West Virginia University baseball team fell to Campbell, 6-5, on Sunday afternoon at Jim Perry Stadium.
Trailing, the Mountaineers got the go-ahead run to second base in the ninth inning but failed to get him home in the series finale between the two teams. WVU finished with eight hits, to Campbell’s six, scoring two runs in the fourth and one each in the seventh, eighth and ninth.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Chris Sleeper took the loss, dropping his record to 1-3 this season, while Campbell’s Jake Murray was awarded the win.
“We just aren’t getting big hits with men on base,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “It seems like we’re getting guys on base with less than two outs all the time, but we’re just not driving them in right now.”
After the Mountaineers (10-8) stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the second, Campbell (9-10) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the inning. The Camels used back-to-back triples to get the frame started and take control early.
WVU answered in the fourth, tying the game at 2, thanks to sophomore outfielder Braden Barry’s first career home run. The Louisville, Kentucky, native hit a two-run shot to left center to even the ballgame.
Junior right-hander Jacob Watters, meanwhile, allowed two runs on three hits in 4.0 innings with three strikeouts and two walks on 68 pitches in his first start of the season. He ended his day by getting out of a two-on, two-out jam with an inning-ending comebacker to the mound in the fourth.
In the sixth, WVU again was unable to capitalize on a big scoring opportunity that saw runners on second and third with only one out. Then, the Camels loaded the bases in the bottom half, which resulted a pair of runs.
Campbell led, 4-2, after six innings.
WVU clawed back to within a run in the seventh, scoring on a Camel throwing error. But the hosts added two more in the bottom of the inning to claim a 6-3 lead.
From there, redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker hit his second home run of the weekend – a solo shot to left field – in the eighth to help the Mountaineers claw within two of the lead at 6-4. The Prince George, Virginia, native finished 2-for-3 on the day.
The deficit stayed at two after redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Strechay and redshirt junior righty Daniel Ouderkirk kept Campbell off the board in the bottom of the eighth.
In need of a rally, West Virginia loaded the bases in the top of the ninth and scored on a run-producing fielder’s choice. However, the Mountaineers couldn’t get a late hit to extend the game.
Along with Tucker, freshman infielder Grant Hussey tallied two hits, while Barry finished with three RBI in the setback. On the mound, the Mountaineers used seven pitchers in the game. Combined, the squad’s six relievers allowed three hits in four innings.
Up next, the Mountaineers return to Morgantown to begin a four-game homestand at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark. WVU is set to take on in-state foe Marshall on Wednesday, March 23, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Trailing, the Mountaineers got the go-ahead run to second base in the ninth inning but failed to get him home in the series finale between the two teams. WVU finished with eight hits, to Campbell’s six, scoring two runs in the fourth and one each in the seventh, eighth and ninth.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Chris Sleeper took the loss, dropping his record to 1-3 this season, while Campbell’s Jake Murray was awarded the win.
“We just aren’t getting big hits with men on base,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “It seems like we’re getting guys on base with less than two outs all the time, but we’re just not driving them in right now.”
After the Mountaineers (10-8) stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the second, Campbell (9-10) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the inning. The Camels used back-to-back triples to get the frame started and take control early.
WVU answered in the fourth, tying the game at 2, thanks to sophomore outfielder Braden Barry’s first career home run. The Louisville, Kentucky, native hit a two-run shot to left center to even the ballgame.
Junior right-hander Jacob Watters, meanwhile, allowed two runs on three hits in 4.0 innings with three strikeouts and two walks on 68 pitches in his first start of the season. He ended his day by getting out of a two-on, two-out jam with an inning-ending comebacker to the mound in the fourth.
In the sixth, WVU again was unable to capitalize on a big scoring opportunity that saw runners on second and third with only one out. Then, the Camels loaded the bases in the bottom half, which resulted a pair of runs.
Campbell led, 4-2, after six innings.
WVU clawed back to within a run in the seventh, scoring on a Camel throwing error. But the hosts added two more in the bottom of the inning to claim a 6-3 lead.
From there, redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker hit his second home run of the weekend – a solo shot to left field – in the eighth to help the Mountaineers claw within two of the lead at 6-4. The Prince George, Virginia, native finished 2-for-3 on the day.
The deficit stayed at two after redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Strechay and redshirt junior righty Daniel Ouderkirk kept Campbell off the board in the bottom of the eighth.
In need of a rally, West Virginia loaded the bases in the top of the ninth and scored on a run-producing fielder’s choice. However, the Mountaineers couldn’t get a late hit to extend the game.
Along with Tucker, freshman infielder Grant Hussey tallied two hits, while Barry finished with three RBI in the setback. On the mound, the Mountaineers used seven pitchers in the game. Combined, the squad’s six relievers allowed three hits in four innings.
Up next, the Mountaineers return to Morgantown to begin a four-game homestand at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark. WVU is set to take on in-state foe Marshall on Wednesday, March 23, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
