GRANVILLE — With one swing of the bat, Hank Thomas ended West Virginia’s three-game winning streak Saturday, while forcing a deciding third game.
Thomas, a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, hit a two-run home run to the power alley in right field to lead Ohio State to a 7-4 victory over West Virginia at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
“They deserved to win that game,” WVU head coach Randy Mazey said. “They had 14 hits. They hit around our pitchers. I don’t think we gave the game away, but we didn’t execute on the mound.”
A day after striking out 17 times in Game 1, Ohio State (9-8) came back with 14 hits and three extra-base hits.
The Buckeyes trailed 4-3 in the sixth. Mazey began the inning with sophomore Robby Porco, who relieved starter Derek Clark.
Porco gave up a leadoff walk, before getting Josh Stevenson to fly out.
Thomas, a transfer from Georgia Tech, grabbed hold of a fastball and sent it about 390 feet, while racing around the bases on his home run trot.
An inning later, Thomas added an RBI single after Stevenson hit an RBI double to add to the lead.
Clark, a transfer from Division II Northwood (Mich.), gave up three runs in the first inning, but settled in from there.
He went five innings, allowing seven hits, two earned runs and struck out four.
“They scored three runs off one of our better pitchers, so all credit to them for being awake when the game started,” Mazey said. “He settled in a little bit. He’s a strike thrower. Any time you face a strike thrower, the time to get him is in the first inning, before he settles in.
“He was throwing balls in the middle of the plate early on and they were smashing them.”
WVU (11-8) came back to take tie the game in the fourth when Grant Hussey scored a run with a ground ball and Reed Chumley hit a two-run home run measured at 413 feet.
The Mountaineers took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Sam White scored on a wild pitch.
They made a run in the eighth inning when pinch hitter Aaron Jamison and Kyle West both singled, but the run ended after Chumley was called looking at a third strike and Michael Perazza grounded out.
“They deserved to win,” Mazey said. “It doesn’t matter who the best team is, it’s who plays the best. They played better today.”
WVU was again without star J.J. Wetherholt in the lineup. Wetherholt, dealing with a hamstring injury missed his 15th consecutive game and Logan Sauve (leg) missed his seventh.
Wetherholt took batting practice on Friday, but did not take part on Saturday. Mazey has continually said both players are getting better day by day, but aren’t ready to play.
WVU also lost shortstop Brodie Kresser in the ninth inning after he fouled off a pitch. Kresser has been dealing with a core muscle injury for most of the season and may have pulled something again on the swing.
He took himself out of the game and angrily walked to the dugout.
The deciding game of the series — WVU’s final nonconference series of the season — is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, with Tyler Switalski scheduled to take the mound for the Mountaineers.
