The 24th-ranked WVU baseball had one final comeback in it at the Clemson Regional.
The Mountaineers, trailing 12-7 in the eighth inning, scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth to come back to defeat Kentucky 13-12.
West Virginia clinched its second straight super regional appearance with the victory, the first under coach Steve Sabins.
Armani Guzman, who was named MVP of the regional, hit the game-clinching single to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth to finish off a six-run inning for the Mountaineers (44-14).
“More than just myself, it shows (the team) we all have it,” Guzman said. “I was a guy who didn’t play the last month and a half and now I’m here in this position.”
Being so close to a super regional, the Mountaineers didn’t hold back anything to start the game, but their streaky hitting didn’t allow them to keep a lead consistently.
In the bottom of the first, junior catcher Logan Sauve hit a solo blast to left center to score the first run of the game. WVU didn’t fall into the same hole they once did on Friday against the same Kentucky team in the opening-round game.
Of course, WVU came back in walk-off fashion to win that game in the bottom of the ninth inning, scored four more runs in the ninth inning to beat Clemson on Saturday, but saved its best for last in the third game of the regional.
After some really strong pitching in the last two games from WVU starters, Robby Porco struggled on the mound. Porco was relieved for Reese Bassinger in the top of the second after Porco walked three straight Wildcats to load the bases.
After scoring 16 runs in their previous game against Clemson, the Wildcats bats stayed hot.
The first batter that Bassinger would face, Devin Burkes hit a hard ball to left center field that would bring in two Wildcats to score.
That wouldn’t be the end of Kentucky’s (31-26) relentless hitting.
In the same top half of the inning, Cole Hage would hit another two RBI single to bring in another pair of Wildcats. Kentucky took a quick lead after WVU scored first.
In the top of the third, Wildcats’ veteran third baseman Patrick Herrera beamed the baseball down the third-base line and scored Carson Hansen all the way from first base.
The Mountaineers would answer strongly in the bottom of the fourth, scoring six runs to take the lead back.
A fielding error and a two-RBI single by Ben Lumsden would bring West Virginia right back in the mix of things. Who else other than Guzman to bring in two runners home with another two-RBI single. All regional, Guzman has been elite when the moment required him to be. He finished the three games going 8 for 12 with six RBIs.
Just when all the momentum had flipped to WVU, Kentucky retook it once again.
Hudson Brown delivered a RBI single to send Herrera home from second base and tie the game back up again. This would effectively end Bassinger’s day and bring in lefty Ben McDougal.
McDougal, much like the rest of the WVU pitchers, struggled. In the three batters McDougal faced, he hit two of them and walked the other to give Kentucky the lead back.
Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, Carson Estridge didn’t provide what was needed. Kentucky designated hitter Hudson Brown hit a gut-punch of a home run to extend the Wildcats lead.
“It was a really weird balancing act that we haven’t had to do much this year.” WVU head coach Steve Sabins said. “The offense stepped up huge and kept coming.”
Pinch-hitting for Jace Rinehart, Grant Hussey nearly came in and hit a grand slam to tie the game. Kentucky left fielder Cole Hage robbed him of it, banging into the left field wall to make the catch.
When all hope was seemingly lost, the WVU Mountaineers rose from the ashes.
“That’s the three best set of games I’ve ever been a part of as a player or a coach in my life,” Sabins said. “It literally had everything you could have imagined, including walk-offs, and six-run eights…”
Once again, West Virginia was able to load the bases. This time, in the bottom of the eighth, they were able to convert as Sam White drew a walk that would score a run. With two outs, both Gavin Kelly and Lumsden would hit RBI singles to score four more runners to tie the game.
With three outs remaining for Kentucky to tie or take the lead, Griffin Kirn came in and did what he does best. He got the job done for WVU and retired the Kentucky batters to end the game.
To describe the WVU series of games this weekend, Sabins said, “Heroic plays, heroic performances, heroic at-bats, it’s the best television you could have watched for three straight games.”
— Story by Nic Costello
