GRANVILLE — JJ Wetherholt returned from injury and drove in four runs, Grant Hussey reached base five times and drove in five and WVU closed out its first-ever sweep of TCU Sunday with a 17-7 win in seven innings.
“That’s so hard to do,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We’ve played really good in the Big 12 since we’ve been in the league against everybody except for TCU. They’ve had our number for a long time but we won two out of three last year at their place, so to sweep them here is five out of the last six. That’s really, really hard to do.”
The Mountaineers (29-11, 8-4 Big 12) scored 17 runs on 13 hits, five for extra bases, and nine walks. The announced attendance for Sunday’s game was 2,421, bringing the three-game total over the weekend to 9,151.
“For us to do what we did this weekend with the crowds and the atmosphere, you have no idea how hard it is,” Mazey said. “Our guys are playing at a pretty high level right now.”
WVU won its first series against TCU (22-18, 7-8) last season and picked up its first sweep of the Horned Frogs on Sunday. The win keeps the Mountaineers in first place in the Big 12, ahead of Kansas State (26-15, 9-6) and Oklahoma State (27-13, 10-7).
After missing the last five games with a thumb injury, Wetherholt made his return to the field during an eight-run fourth inning for WVU. With four runs already in during the frame, Wetherholt was called upon to pinch hit with the bases loaded and wasted no time, hitting a double to the wall in right field on the second pitch he saw that scored all three runners.
“When I got in there, I wasn’t going in there to walk,” Wetherholt said with a smile. “I felt good, my swing felt good and I wanted to get a swing off…I’d say I was a little anxious to swing, I wanted to swing.”
Wetherholt added an RBI single in a six-run bottom of the seventh and finished 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored.
Hussey also contributed in that big seventh inning, launching a three-run home run out to right field that put WVU up 15-7 at the time.
“I’m honestly not sure what pitch he threw the last pitch, sometimes that happens,” Hussey said with a laugh. “I just stayed inside and put a good swing on it.”
Hussey, a sophomore from Parkersburg, was on base five times Sunday with two hits, two walks and a hit by pitch. His first hit was a left-on-left opposite-field single against TCU pitcher Sam Stoutenborough.
“That was probably more impressive than the homer,” Mazey said. “You don’t grow up seeing tremendous left-handed pitching as a high school kid. That’s pretty impressive for him.”
The game ended when Tevin Tucker reached on an infield single that allowed Wetherholt to score in the bottom of the seventh inning, triggering the 10-run mercy rule. Tucker had two hits with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.
Catcher Dayne Leonard had three hits, a double, with two RBI and three runs. Freshmen Ellis Garcia and Sam White each drove in a run.
Freshman Robby Porco started on the mound for WVU and pitched well until allowing a grand slam to TCU’s Cole Fontenelle in the top of the fifth. He finished with 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on four hits with six strikeouts and four walks.
The Mountaineers return to action at home Tuesday as they will try to avenge a loss to Penn State from earlier this month. During a game in State College two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions scored seven runs in the bottom of the six and three in the bottom of the seventh to beat the Mountaineers 11-6. Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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