West Virginia Takes Series Finale Against Stetson

The Mountaineers use small ball in the ninth for series finale win

DeLand, FL - West Virginia ended the series with a 7-5 win over Stetson Monday morning. The Mountaineers (2-2) gave up a 5-2 lead in the eight but two runs in the ninth on sacrifice bunts evened the series with the Hatters (2-2)

West Virginia put up two runs in the first after junior shortstop JJ Wetherholt received a four-pitch one-out walk and Logan Sauve received the same pitch count before Benjamin Lumsden put the ball in play and an errant throw scored Wetherholt from second. Wetherholt left the game with an injury prior to the start of the bottom of the inning. 

Stetson starting pitcher Mathew Heyl beaned sophomore Sam White to load the bases, then Ellis Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield for the 2-0 lead. 

Stetson junior Yohann Dessureault tied the game in the bottom of the second with a two-run home run. 

Logan Sauve reclaimed the West Virginia lead with a leadoff solo home run in the third. 

In the fourth, senior Reed Chumley hit a one out single and junior Kyle West followed with a single through the right side to put runners at the corners before junior Brodie Kresser delivered an RBI single to give the Mountaineers a 4-2 lead. 

West Virginia tacked on a run in the seventh when King and Sauve singled to open the seventh, Lumsden laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners in scoring position and White hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield for the 5-2 advantage. 

Mountaineer reliever Joseph Frederick allowed one hit in three inning but in the eighth, the freshman hit Kyle Jones and followed with a walk to bring the tying run to the plate. 

Head coach Randy Mazey turned to sophomore Gavin Van Kempen. He recorded the first out before walking the bases loaded, then a sacrifice ground ball from Hylton and a two-RBI single junior Gio Cueto delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game at five. 

Logan Sauve received a four-pitch leadoff walk in the ninth and the Mountaineers, then Lumsden singled on a bunt before consecutive sacrifice bunts from White and Garcia put two runs on the board to give West Virginia a 7-5 lead. 

Van Kempen brought the tying run to the plate after a one-out walk but consecutive strikeouts ended the game as the Mountaineers took the 7-5 decision. 

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