West Virginia Downs Wildcats in Extra Innings

Manhattan, KS - It took 11 innings, but the West Virginia Mountaineers captured game one of a three-game series over the Kansas State Wildcats 4-3 Friday night.

The Big 12 Conference Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year Jordan Wicks held West Virginia hitless through four innings, but a passed ball on strike three put Paul McIntosh on first base made Wicks uncomfortable, and the Mountaineers began collecting hits.

Vincent Ippoliti hit a hard ground ball through the right side, putting runners on the corners. Matt McCormick went opposite field and flared an RBI single into leftfield before Kevin Brophy hit a high chopping ground ball pack up the middle, scoring McCormick from second. Then, with two outs, Mikey Kluska delivered a hard-hit RBI single into right field as the Mountaineers grabbed a 3-0 lead.

West Virginia starting pitcher Jackson Wolf held the Wildcats off the board through five until Kansas State produced consecutive two-out singles, cutting the deficit to two. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Chris Ceballos hit a leadoff home run to get the Wildcats within one.

Wolf tossed a scoreless eighth and took the mound in the eighth, but after walking leadoff hitter Zach Kokoska, head coach Randy Mazey called in his closer Jakob Watters. He struck out Ceballos, but a strike three passed ball put runners on the corners before Cameron Uselton hit a chopper over to short for a sacrifice RBI, tying the game at three and pushing the game into extra innings.

West Virginia threatened in the tenth after Victor Scott produced a two-out single and stole second, and on the 3-2 pitch to Dominic Ragazzo, he stole third. Ragazzo took second after working the two-out walk, but the Mountaineers could not bring them across the plate.

In the 11th, Matt McCormick hit a shallow fly ball into centerfield that got by a diving Blake Burrows for a one-out double. He advanced to third on a sacrifice ground ball from Kevin Brophy before Nathan Blasick hit a ground ball over to short, but Dylan Phillips was not able to dig the ball out of the turf on the throw to first as the Mountaineers took a 4-3 lead.

Watters hit Kokoska to begin the bottom of the inning but, Watters struck out consecutive Wildcats before Uselton grounded at third as the Mountaineers grab game one 4-3.

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