MORGANTOWN — Jace Rineart’s two-run home run in the seventh inning provided the winning runs.
WVU relief pitcher Chase Meyer still made the biggest impact for the 24th-ranked Mountaineers, which knocked off Oklahoma State 8-6 inside O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. on Sunday.
Meyer pitched the final 3 2/3 innings for his fourth victory of the season. In a game that featured a combined 20 hits and seven home runs, Meyer allowed no hits, no runs and struck out nine of the 12 batters he faced.
The highly-anticipated series between two teams picked in the top four of the Big 12 in the preseason was cut short due to tornado-like wind gusts that created havoc and set off fires in the Stillwater area on Friday.
That led to postponing the games scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
“It is unclear at this time whether any of the impacted events will be rescheduled,” Oklahoma State’s athletic department put out in a release.
As for Sunday’s game, it was a home run derby in the early going.
WVU (16-1, 1-0 Big 12) got it going in the top of the second inning, when freshman Gavin Kelly hit a solo home run that was followed by Kyle West’s two-run shot to right field that gave the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead.
Oklahoma State (9-8, 0-1) countered with a solo home run in the bottom of the second by Kollin Ritchie.
In the fourth inning, Ian Daugherty hit a two-run home run and Ritchie added another solo shot to give the Cowboys a 4-3 lead.
That was it for WVU starter Griffin Kirn, who gave up six hits and four runs over 3 1/3 innings. He did strike out eight of the 16 batters he faced.
WVU tied the game 4-4 in the fifth inning when Sam White drew a bases-loaded walk that scored West, but that rally was short-lived, as Rineart grounded into a double play to end that inning.
The Cowboys then took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth, after Drew Culbertson bunted home teammate Jayson Jones.
The back-and-forth continued, as West singled home Kelly in the sixth inning, only to see Oklahoma State’s Brayden Smith hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to give the Cowboys a 6-5 lead.
Back came the Mountaineers, who tied the game 6-6 in the seventh inning, after White’s sacrifice fly drove in Brodie Kresser.
That led to Rineart hitting his third home run of the season, a two-run blast to right field that also scored Logan Suave for the final score.
West finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs for the Mountaineers, who return home to face James Madison in a two-game series that begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
One game after seeing his 12-game hit streak ended, White had two hits and two RBIs.
