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The West Virginia baseball team opened up Big 12 play in Waco, Texas, this weekend with a three-game set against No. 10 Baylor. WVU defeated Baylor in the first two games and dropped the final on Sunday.
WVU improved to 10-8 on the season and started their Big 12 slate strongly. WVU won the first game 7-1, the second 6-5 and lost the third 5-1. The series gave WVU a 4-1 record against top-25 teams.
The series loss was the first for Baylor all season and the two home losses were also second and third for the Bears.
Friday, March 17, WVU 7-1
BJ Meyers, a Flower Mound, Texas, native picked up the win for WVU while pitching eight innings. He received help throughout the night from consistent offense. WVU scored in the first, third, fourth and ninth innings, racking up 13 hits. Baylor employed four pitches, but the loss was credited to Nick Lewis.
First baseman Jackson Cramer recorded went 2-2 with two hits, two runs, two RBI and two walks. Austin Cole record three hits in five at bats in the five-hole.
Saturday, March 18, WVU 6-5
In the second game of the series, WVU came out victorious by being just more efficient than Baylor throughout the game. A ninth inning two-out RBI single by Cole Austin won the game for the Mountaineers. Austin went 4-5 on the day and second baseman Kyle Gray had two extra-base hits.
Braden Zarbinsky picked up the win for WVU, coming on in the eighth inning, shutting out the Bears and surrendering only one hit. Kyle Hill was credited with the loss. WVU scored their six runs on 12 hit while Baylor was held to just seven hits.
Sunday, March 19, Baylor 5-1
In the series finale, Baylor’s pitching was finally able to subdue the Mountaineers’ bats. Cody Bradford pitch six and two-thirds innings but did surrender seven hits. However, two double plays behind him eliminated scoring threats WVU had.
Shea Langeliers knocked a solo home run in the first inning and Kameron Esthay gave Baylor a decisive lead with a three-run homer in the fifth inning.
Connor Dotson pitched in the loss, giving up six hits and all five of Baylor’s runs in four and one-third innings. Marques Inman recorded three hits in four at bats for WVU and Cramer had two.
WVU travels to Penn State on Wednesday, March 22 for a game against the Nittany Lions at 6:30 p.m. The Mountaineers will play a three-game series against Jacksonville for its first home games of the season.