Rapid Takeaways Following WVU's Beatdown of Troy to Keep Season Alive

It was a grind through the first half of the game, but West Virginia opened things up in the later innings, cruising to a 12-0 win over Troy to keep their season alive.

Here are my thoughts from this one...

Another stellar outing for Montesa

I tell you what, I give this kid a ton of credit. He has had his fair share of rocky moments this season, and on occasion, he would allow that to get to him, and things would go off the rails. Just like his start against Wake Forest, he stayed composed when he ran into trouble and pitched out of it each time until he got tired and was replaced by Ben McDougal. Obviously, the efficiency is still a work in progress, but the stuff is elite. If WVU can win Wednesday, he should be available to come in out of the bullpen on Thursday, if necessary.

Bassinger was massive

Things got a little hairy there in the seventh as Troy loaded the bases on McDougal with no one out. Bassinger was called on to get out of the jam and had to work right through the heart of the Trojans' order to do so. He struck out Cavill, then picked up a huge out of slugger Jimmy Janicki, who hit a shallow flyball to center that couldn't score the run, and finished it off with a strikeout of Meier. Five of the first six batters he faced were retired via the punch out. Oh, and don't worry about his usage today. This dude has a rubber arm. He'll be available tomorrow and Thursday, if they extend it.

Maybe the biggest takeaway...

With Montesa and Bassinger doing their thing, it allowed West Virginia to keep the bulk of its bullpen (and starters) fresh. Chansen Cole and Ian Korn will be options to start, Carson Estridge got his feet wet today, Josh Surigao has yet to pitch in Omaha, and McDougal didn't throw very much, so he'll be ready to roll too. And as just mentioned above, Bassinger will absolutely get the ball if needed. North Carolina has a massive advantage, having only used four pitchers during play in Omaha, on top of having two days of rest, but WVU was able to tee up the rematch without having to eat up its bullpen.

UNC will be in for a dogfight

The Tar Heels have had West Virginia's number in the postseason, but the other night, the Mountaineers were right there and just shot themselves in the foot with two critical errors late in the ballgame. Carolina may win tomorrow, but it's not going to be a cake walk. WVU is going to throw everything at them, and I'd expect a much cleaner game from them defensively. Although the Heels have the advantage with no losses, West Virginia is going to be locked in knowing it's another win-or-go-home situation. They are two wins away from playing for a national championship, so anything less than a tight game would be surprising.

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