Mountaineers Strike Late to Win Finale, Series vs. Oklahoma State

West Virginia Mountaineers: 4

#23 Oklahoma State Cowboys: 2

After each team scored in the 1st inning, pitching took over for the following 5 innings. Both Kade Strowd (W 4-2) and Brett Standlee (ND) pitched well and delivered quality starts for their programs. The Mountaineers (19-12) (4-5) were able to do just enough late in the ballgame to earn a 4-2 victory and their second straight series win over a Top 25 opponent.

In the top of the 1st, Brandon White drew a 1-out walk and then advanced to 2nd on an error by the pitcher on an attempted pickoff. Darius Hill then smoked a double down the right field line to bring White in for the 1-0 Mountaineers lead.

The Cowboys (19-11) (6-3) answered right back in the bottom of the inning, getting a 2-run home run from C Colin Simpson.

The next 5 innings were rather uneventful, as Tyler Doanes was the only player for either team to reach scoring position. If you like strong pitching, this afternoon’s game was definitely for you.

Kade Strowd put together potentially his best game of 2019, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks in 7.1 innings, all while striking out 10 batters. He tied Alek Manoah for the team lead in wins with his 4th decision today. He tossed 128 pitches, which is A LOT of pitches in modern day baseball. Hopefully he’ll be fully recovered by next Sunday’s start against the #17 Texas Tech Red Raiders at Monongalia County Ballpark.

In the top of the 8th inning, Paul McIntosh delivered a RBI single to left field which scored Darius Hill to tie the game at 2. After Kevin Brophy walked to load the bases, TJ Lake drew another walk to force home a run and give WVU the 3-2 lead.

Sam Kessler entered with 2 outs in the 8th inning, less than 24 hours after getting throttled for 5 runs in less than an inning. However, he showed a skill that many humans don’t have - the ability to move forward past adversity. He threw 1.1 nearly perfect innings, striking out 3 and walking 1 to earn his 6th save of the season.

Hill delivered an insurance run in the top of the 9th, as he drove White in from 2nd on a single right field for a 4-2 lead.

With the win on Sunday, WVU sits just 2.0 games back of OK State and Baylor for the Big 12 lead. The 2-7 Kansas Jayhawks defeated Texas Tech today to keep the Red Raiders at 5-4 and stealing the momentum that a series sweep can provide.

The Mountaineers will travel to College Park, MD this week for a showdown with the Terrapins at 4PM on Wednesday. Following that, WVU will welcome Texas Tech next weekend for a huge Big 12 series. WVU Athletics is doing promotions on each night, so if possible, come out to Granville and support your boys in an important home series!

Let’s go, Mountaineers!