West Virginia Takes Series from Xavier

Morgantown, WV - The West Virginia Mountaineers (18-5) clinched the series over the Xavier Musketeers (10-12) with an emphatic 7-2 decision Saturday evening.

West Virginia leadoff hitter J.J. Wetherholt started the bottom half of the first inning with a single back up the middle, stole second, then Braden Barry moved him to third on a sacrifice fly to centerfield before Dayle Leonard hit an RBI double off the left field for the early 1-0 Mountaineer advantage.

Former Mountaineer Tyler DeMartino tied the game in the fourth with a two-out solo home run, but Ellis Garcia reclaimed the West Virginia leadoff home run in the bottom half of the frame.

Xavier again tied the game with a solo home run, this time coming in the seventh with a leadoff shot from Garrett Shultz.

Once again, the Mountaineers answered in the bottom half of the inning. Wetherholt smacked a two-out double off the top of the wall then Braden Barry slapped a single back up the middle, scoring Wetherholt from second to take a 3-2 lead.

The Mountaineers broke the game open in the eighth with two outs when Landon Wallace single, Tevin Tucker worked a full count walk before J.J. Wetherholt crushed a three-home run. Then, Braden Barry followed with a solo shot for a four-run eighth inning and a commanding 7-2 lead.

West Virginia starting pitcher Blaine Traxel went the distance for his fourth complete game of the season, striking out X and collecting his fifth win of the year.

The Mountaineers will look to complete the sweep against Xavier in game three on Sunday with the first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.

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