West Virginia Comes Up Short Against Illinois

West Virginia's hot bats cool as Mountaineers fall to Illinois 2-1.

Myrtle Beach, SC – West Virginia left fielder and leadoff hitter Braden Zarbnisky went 4-4 on the day and Tyler Doanes went 2-4 as the two recorded six of the Mountaineers seven hits but it was not enough as the West Virginia Mountaineers dropped the first game of a doubleheader to the Illinois Fighting Illini 2-1 Sunday afternoon.

Braden Zarbnisky began the game with a base hit into left field and Tyler Doanes ripped a single into left-center putting runners on the corners. Paul McIntosh drove in Zarbnisky on fielders' choice over to short as the Mountaineers took a 1-0 lead in the top of first.

West Virginia starting left-handed pitcher Jake Carr faced the minimum through three innings but in the fourth, leadoff hitter Taylor Jackson started the bottom of the inning with a base hit then, with one out, Branden Comia hit a two-run home run over left field to take the 2-1 lead. Carr tossed eight innings and held Illinois to five hits while recording three strikeouts.

Despite the hot bats of late, Illinois starting pitcher Cole Kirschsieper only allowed the Mountaineers to get a runner in scoring position once after the first inning. He pitched six and gave up the Mountaineers only run in the first inning.

Aiden Maldonado took the hill in the seventh for the Illini and closed out the game only giving up one hit, and even though he walked three, the Mountaineers never threatened to put a run on the board to tie the game as they fall short in game three of the Brittains Resorts Invitational 2-1.

West Virginia will wrap up the invitational in the second game of the doubleheader with Coastal Carolina at 4:00 pm.