MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia baseball team fell in both games of a doubleheader against Oklahoma on Saturday at Monongalia County Ballpark. The Mountaineers lost 8-7 in 11 innings before suffering a 9-1 setback in Game 2.
“It was a grind of a day,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “Not winning that first game obviously took a lot of the wind out of our sails for Game 2. It was just a tough day for us.”
WVU (17-23, 7-14 Big 12) dropped a hard-fought decision in the opening game of the twin bill, despite holding a three-run lead at one point. Redshirt sophomore infielder Alec Burns hit a pair of home runs, including a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings, before OU won it in the 11th.
In all, the Amherst, N.H., native finished 2 for 4 with three RBI and two runs scored in the setback.
Trailing 1-0, WVU scored four runs in the bottom of the first, thanks to an RBI double by senior catcher Paul McIntosh, RBI single by fifth-year senior outfielder Hudson Byorick and a two-run blast off the bat of Burns. It marked the second straight four-run, first inning for the hosts.
However, OU (23-22, 7-10) responded with two runs in the fourth, two in the sixth and one in the eighth to take a 6-4 lead. That’s when junior outfielder Austin Davis hit his first career long ball, a solo shot into the visitor’s bullpen in left, to cut the deficit to one.
Burns’ heroics in the ninth sent the game into extras, before the Sooners scored a pair in the top of the 11th to help them grab the Game 1 victory.
OU’s Jaret Godwin earned the win on the mound, while junior right-hander Madison Jeffrey took the loss. Additionally, Oklahoma’s Luke Taggert tallied the save. The Sooners finished with eight runs on 11 hits with one error, while West Virginia tallied seven runs on 10 hits with two errors.
Four Mountaineers finished with multiple hits in Game 1, including Davis, McIntosh, Byorick and Burns.
In Game 2, OU scored three times in the top of the second and never looked back in the series-clinching victory. The Mountaineers tallied just one hit – a ninth-inning triple by sophomore Dominic Ragazzo – in the loss. Ragazzo scored the squad’s only run on sophomore outfielder Victor Scott’s sacrifice fly to left.
Braden Carmichael got the win for Oklahoma, while freshman left-hander Ben Hampton was handed the loss.
WVU opened the weekend with a 7-1 win over the Sooners on Friday night. Following the three-game series, WVU now trails Oklahoma, 16-12, in 28 all-time meetings.
The Mountaineers welcome in-state foe Marshall to Morgantown at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
