West Virginia Annihilates Texas Tech and Evens Series

The Mountaineers even the series with the Red Raiders with an emphatic 17-2 victory

Morgantown, WV - After falling in the series opener 5-2, the West Virginia Mountaineers (38-13, 14-6) bounced back with a dominating 17-2 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders (35-17, 10-10) Saturday evening. 

West Virginia leadoff hitter Tevin Tucker recorded the first of the Mountaineers 13 hits of the afternoon, leading the game off with a single, and J.J. Wetherholt followed suit before Landon Wallace laid down the sacrifice bunt to set up junior Braden Barry for the sacrifice RBI and the early 1-0 Mountaineers lead. 

The Mountaineers began to separate themselves from the Red Raiders in the second inning. Grant Hussey got the offense going with a leadoff double and Caleb McNeely drove a double down the left field line to place runners at second and third. Sam White hit a sacrifice fly ball to right field to score Hussey, then Logan Sauve brought in another run on a fielder's choice. It was Texas Tech starting pitcher Trendan Parrish who brought in the final two runs of the inning for the Mountaineers, walking three consecutive batters, giving WVU a pair of runs and capping off a four-run inning as West Virginia extended its lead 5-0 and the rout ensued. 

West Virginia junior Landon Wallace gave the Mountaineers an eight-run cushion in the third with a three-RBI double. 

The Mountaineers tacked on three more runs in the fourth with Sauve collecting a pair of RBIs on a fielder's choice and J.J. Wetherholt registered his third hit of the afternoon for an RBI for an 11-0 advantage. 

Braden Barry and Grant Hussey lifted solo home runs in the fifth as the Mountaineers were coasting, 13-0. 

The West Virginia scoring continued seventh when Braden Barry brought a run in with a double, and the run came on an errant throw in from the outfield, then Hussey ripped his second home run on the day to finish a four-run-seventh inning. 

West Virginia starting pitcher Blaine Traxel went eight innings allowed two runs on two solo home runs while Keegan Allen took the mound in the ninth, gave up a leadoff double but retired three, striking out two and kept the Red Raiders off the board as the Mountaineers even the series with a 17-2 decision. 

The series finale is set for Sunday afternoon with the first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. EST. 

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