Sports@DominionPost.com
AUSTIN, Texas – The West Virginia University baseball team fell to No. 2 Texas, 14-3, on Friday night in Austin, Texas.
In the middle game of the three-game set at the Longhorns’ UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the Mountaineers slipped into an early hole and were unable to dig out. West Virginia (23-24, 8-15 Big 12) finished with three runs on eight hits with two errors, while Texas (39-13, 16-7 Big 12) tallied 14 runs on 14 hits with no errors.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton took the loss on the mound, dropping his record to 4-3 on the campaign. UT’s Tristan Stevens earned the victory.
After the Mountaineers left the bases loaded to begin the game, Texas opened the scoring with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the second to take a 2-0 lead. From there, the Longhorns broke it open with a five-spot in the third and five more runs in the fourth. That made it a 12-0 ballgame.
Hampton allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 2 2/3 innings of action. Following his exit, junior right-hander Zach Ottinger got the final out of the third and worked into the fourth. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Dan Ouderkirk and freshmen right-handers Tyler Chadwick and Carter Lyles also logged innings on mound on Friday night.
WVU got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh when fifth-year senior infielder Kevin Brophy smacked a three-run homer to right field. The big fly marked his eighth of the year, tied for the team lead, and his second of the series.
Brophy finished 2-for-3 on the night, while junior outfielder Austin Davis also registered a pair of hits. Additionally, Davis stole his 16th base of the season in the loss.
Texas’ final runs of the evening came on a pair of solo homers in the bottom of the eighth to extend its lead even more.
Friday’s loss snapped the Mountaineers’ season-long, six-game win streak. WVU fell to 14-9 all-time against the Longhorns, including an even 7-7 in Austin. The setback came a night after WVU logged its highest-ranked win in program history with a 5-4 win over the Longhorns in Thursday night’s series opener.
Next up, the two teams conclude the 2021 regular season with the rubber match of the three-game set on Saturday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
