West Virginia Downs Minnesota

The West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) rallied back to defeat the Minnesota State Gophers 5-4 in the first game of the Cambria College Classic. Sophomore McGwire Holbrook led the Mountaineers, going 3-3 with two RBIs and a home run.

Chase Stanke put the Gophers on the board in the bottom of the first, smacking a two-out solo home run into the left field bleachers.

Minnesota put another run on the board in the fourth after Stanke ripped a double down the left field line, then Ronald Sweeney singled to put runners on the corners before Easton Bertrand hit an RBI single down the right field line to put the Gophers up 2-0.

In the top of the fifth, J.J. Wetherholt ripped a one-out single before McGwire Holbrook drilled a two-run home run over the centerfield, tying the game at two.

West Virginia starting pitcher Carlson Reed went four and a third, allowing two runs on six hits, and struck out three before Noah Short came in relief in the fifth.

Zach Ottinger took the hill in the sixth and gave up a leadoff inside the park home run to Bertrand, cutting the deficit to one before Andrew Wihite singled, ending Short's evening. Head coach Randy Mazey turned to Chase Smith. Wihite stole second, and a walk put runners on first and second with one out. A hard hit up the middle and a tricky throw at second scored a run, pushing the lead to two, 4-2. Smith struck out another before Mazey called out to the bullpen for Trey Braithwaite to face Stenke, who grounded out to second, ending the inning.

The Gophers went to their bullpen in the seventh. Austin Davis led off the inning, reaching first but grabbed second after a high throw from third to first brought the tying run to the plate. Wetherholt advanced Davis to third before Victor Scott laced an RBI single into left-centerfield to get WVU back within a run. Scott stole second, then Holbrook singled into left field. Nathan Blasick came in to pinch-hit and delivered an RBI single to tie the game at four.

In the top of the ninth, Wetherholt hit a leadoff single. Then, Mazey sent in Kevin Dowdell to pinch-hit, and he delivered an RBI single into left-center for the 5-4 lead as Jacob Watters took the hill in the bottom of the inning, going 1-2-3 and picking up his first save of the season as the Mountaineers pick up the win 5-4.

West Virginia will meet Illinois Saturday at 4:00 pm with the game streaming on Big Ten Plus.

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