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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — West Virginia sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert struck out a career-high 14 batters in 8.0 innings of work in the Mountaineers’ 5-1 win over Saint Joseph’s on Saturday afternoon at the Brittain Resorts Invitational.
The win pushes Mountaineers to 2-0 on the weekend ahead of their final two games of the invitational today at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Bergert’s strikeout total was the most by a Mountaineer pitcher since Nick Snyder punched out 16 on April 30, 2019, against Marshall. Bergert allowed just one run on two hits in his impressive outing, conceding just one walk and a hit batter.
“He gets better on the field because of what he does off the field,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “He’s the guy that gets the most sleep, he eats the best, he works out the best, he does really well in school, so, that translates. You can’t be an overachiever off the field and be an underachiever on the field, and he’s just an overachiever all the way around. That’s why he’s gotten better.”
West Virginia scored five runs on five hits, while St. Joseph’s tallied one run on three hits. With the win, the Mountaineers have won four consecutive games.
The Mountaineers (5-1) opened the scoring in the top of the second inning with a solo home run off the bat of Paul McIntosh to make it 1-0. From there, they added on in the fourth inning when Matt McCormick doubled down the left-field line, scoring Tyler Doanes. The speedy second baseman began the inning with a lead-off triple.
Bergert, meanwhile, didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth inning. He went on to hold the Hawks (2-4) off the scoreboard in seven of his eight frames.
St. Joe’s was able to make it a one-run game in the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer to right. That made it 2-1.
From there, the Hawks got the tying run to second base with one out in the bottom of the eighth, before Bergert finished his day with a pair of strikeouts.
West Virginia added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, thanks to McIntosh’s RBI fielder’s choice and a sacrifice bunt off the bat of senior infielder Kevin Brophy, which scored two runs to make it 5-1.
“Kevin has been around for a long time — he’s just a Mountaineer,” Mazey said. “He’ll do whatever it takes for us to win games.
“So far in his season year, he’s really taken on a leadership role, trying to teach younger guys. There is no guy I’d rather have at the plate with a game on the line when it comes to being unselfish.”
With the four-run advantage, sophomore right-handed pitcher Zach Ottinger closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning.
Doanes and McCormick each finished with a pair of hits on the day, while McIntosh registered two RBIs in the victory.
The Mountaineers conclude the Brittain Resorts Invitational with two games today. First, WVU takes on Illinois at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach at 10 a.m., before the squad travels to nearby Conway, S.C., for a 4 p.m., contest at Coastal Carolina.
Mountaineers sit in 9th after first day in Tallahassee
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After the first day of competition in the Seminole Intercollegiate hosted by Florida State, the Mountaineers sit in 9th place with a two-round total of 591 to sit at 15-over par on the par-72, 6,965-yard Golden Eagle Course.
Senior Philipp Matlari paced WVU, who finished the day tied for 9th after carding a trio of birdies for a one-under-par 71 in the second round. He shot a 73 in the first round for a total score of 144 for even par.
In the team standings, No. 17 Washington currently sits at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 577 for one-over.
“I’m proud of the guys today,” WVU coach Sean Covich said. “It was a tough day out there, but all five guys kept fighting. Philipp played really solid for us, and the other four were very close to putting it together. The tournament isn’t over yet, and I look forward to watching these guys bounce back tomorrow.”
Junior Logan Perkins sits tied for 23rd after two rounds of play, as he closed the second round with a birdie on the final hole for a two-round total of 148 and four-over par. Rounding out the top-30 is senior Etienne Papineau who fought back after a first-round 76 with four birdies in the second round to finish the day at 149 at five-over.
Finally, juniors Mark Goetz and Matthew Sharpstene finished tied for 45th place, after Goetz shot 151 and Sharpstene shot 151. The pair finished the day at seven-over par.
The Mountaineers return to the course on today for the third and final round of play. They are paired with South Alabama and Troy, with tee times beginning at 8 a.m.
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