STILLWATER, Okla. — T.J. Lake walked with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to hand West Virginia a 4-2 victory against No. 23 Oklahoma State on Sunday.
West Virginia took two of three from the Cowboys (19-11, 6-3 Big 12) to claim the series.
The Mountaineers (19-12, 4-5) also rebounded after losing, 9-5, on Saturday in a game WVU led 5-1 in the fifth.
“Coming off [Saturday’s] loss, that was a real kick in the gut, having a 5-1 lead late in the game and losing it,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “Once again, our team answers the bell when they get challenged a little bit. That’s just a huge win for our program right there.”
Junior Kade Strowd (4-2) was dominant on the mound, going 7.1 innings and allowed just four hits and two runs. He struck out 10 before being relieved in the eighth by Zach Reid.
Sam Kessler picked up the final out in the eighth and then struck out three in the ninth to earn his sixth save.
West Virginia has now won four of its last six against top 25 teams.
Trailing, 2-1, in the eighth, Darius Hill singled with one out and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt.
Marques Inman walked and Phillip Dull pinch-ran for Inman.
Paul McIntosh singled home Hill to tie the game and after Ivan Gonzalez flied out, Kevin Brophy walked to load the bases and Lake walked to score Dull to take a 3-2 lead.
In the ninth, Hill singled home Brandon White for an insurance run. Hill finished 3 of 5 and drove in two runs.
Tyler Doanes also added two hits to raise his season average to .308.
Strowd’s only mistake of the day was a two-run homer to Colin Simpson that gave the Cowboys a 2-1 lead in the first.
Strowd pitched 6.1 scoreless innings from there before the Mountaineers’ bullpen took over.
“Strowd got better as the game went on, which all three of our starters did that this weekend,” Mazey said. “They got into the middle innings, they really got good and kept a really, really good offensive team at bay the whole weekend.”
West Virginia travels to Maryland, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, before hosting Texas Tech for a three-game series that begins Friday at Monongalia County Ballpark.
