GRANVILLE — The WVU baseball team jumped out with six runs in the first inning and put the game away with a two-run home run in the eighth to beat Oklahoma State, 10-7, on April 14.
The Mountaineers (16-16, 2-6 Big 12) batted around in the first to take a 6-1 lead. The Cowboys (19-13-1, 8-3), who entered the day in first place in the Big 12 standings, rallied to cut the WVU deficit to 8-7, but junior first baseman Marques Inman launched a two-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning.
WVU scored 10 runs on 13 hits, while Oklahoma State scored seven runs on 10 hits. Five of WVU’s 10 runs came with two outs. Six Mountaineers starters had at least two hits each.
“Another 21 balls we smashed in the middle of the field today,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “When you do that, you’re going to score a lot of runs, you’re going to win a lot of games.”
The win came in front of a crowd of 2,558 at Monongalia County Ballpark, the ninth-largest crowd in program history.
Inman led the way offensively with a career-best four RBIs on two hits with two runs scored. His biggest hit came in the eighth, a two-run shot down the left-field line with two outs, his fifth homer of the season and eighth of his career.
Freshman third baseman Tyler Doanes also swung a hot bat, driving in three runs on two hits, all with two outs.
On the mound, sophomore right-handed starter Kade Strowd (3-3) allowed a run in the first inning but settled down to earn the win. He struck out 10 batters in five innings and allowed three runs on five hits with two walks.
Today’s series finale was moved up to a noon start to try to avoid impending bad weather.
GOLF
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Junior Max Sear and the Mountaineers sit in third place after two rounds of play at the Rutherford Intercollegiate, hosted by Penn State at the Penn State Blue Golf Course.
After shooting 4-under with a team score of 280 in the first round, the Mountaineers shot 287 in the second to finish the day at
1-under par 567. Penn State leads the way, at 556, while Oakland (564) is second.
Sear enters the third and final round of play in third place. He has a 36-hole total of 137 at 5 under par, two strokes off the lead.
Sophomore Etienne Papineau shot 140 to end the day tied for seventh.
Freshman Matthew Sharpstene (144) is tied for 21st. Classmate Mark Goetz (146) is tied for 26th. Playing as an individual, senior Avery Schneider shot a 148 and is 38th. Freshman Logan Perkins (153) is tied for 61st.
