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MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Solid pitching and defense has carried West Virginia throughout Big 12 play this season. On Sunday, between an error-filled day and a rough start for Zach Bravo, the Mountaineers lost their first Big 12 series of the year.
Over the past two days, No. 24 West Virginia (22-12, 6-3 Big 12) held No. 3 Oklahoma State (26-10, 9-3 Big 12) to just four runs combined in two games. On Sunday, a shuffled around Oklahoma State lineup, took advantage of a West Virginia error to the tune of three home runs in the first inning. That, coupled with the Mountaineers’ offense getting stifled by Cowboy starter Bryce Osmond, led to the Mountaineers losing 13-3 in eight innings.
“We haven’t played a bad game in a long time and when you play 60 games a year, you’re going to play some bad games. It’s hard to avoid, it’s just unfortunate that we played one today,” West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey said.
Bravo (3-1) threw five straight balls to start the game, and then after a sharp ground ball that skipped under Mikey Kluska’s glove at second, a sacrifice-fly and then a David Mendham two-run home run into the visitor’s bullpen just beyond the left field fence put Oklahoma State ahead 3-0.
The damage would not stop there for Bravo, giving up back-to-back home runs. Griffin Doerscing who came into Sunday, 0-for-6 on the weekend, hammered a 3-0 fastball onto the street beyond left field, and putting Oklahoma State up 5-0.
“Everybody’s natural tendency is when you give up five runs in the first inning, ‘man you guys didn’t show up today.’ That’s not really the case ever, our guys showed up to play, we just played a really good hitting team that hit three home runs in the first inning and when you do that it seems like it deflates everybody,” Mazey said.
A five-run lead was all Osmond (3-1) would need. After walking JJ Whetherholt, Victor Scott struck out, while Whetherholt was thrown out at second to end the first inning on a double play.
After getting a ground out to start the second, Osmond struck out seven of the next eight hitters, cruising through the first four innings, while not allowing a hit.
“[Osmond] was good, some days you hit, some days you don’t. He made good pitches when he had to,” Mazey said.
Carlson Reed relieved Bravo in the second, piutching a scoreless second and third innings, before running into trouble in the fourth. Oklahoma State’s offense grabbed two more runs in the fourth inning, hitting two infield singles, and then a double by Jake Thompson into the right-center field gap, scored two more runs, and put the Cowboys ahead 7-0, all coming with two outs.
Reed would finish the day throwing 3.0 innings, striking out one, and allowing those two runs on four hits.
“He’s been pitching really good out of the bullpen lately and he’s got experience as a starter,” Mazey said of Reed. “It was just one of those days.”
West Virginia would break the no-hitter in the fifth inning, with Nathan Blasick hitting is second home run in as many days on a ball that just got over the right field fence. Oklahoma State would get that run back in the sixth inning, after a passed ball allowed Mendham to reach third, before he scored on an RBI groundout from Marcus Brown.
The Mountaineers would try to get back into the game in the seventh, scoring two runs, after a McGwire Holbrook double and a Nathan Blasick RBI single, before Blasick would score on a wild pitch, but the Mountaineers would leave the bases loaded, and trail 9-3.
In the eighth, Oklahoma State would add four more runs, taking advantage of the West Virginia pitching carousel.
On the day, the Cowboys were led by Mendham and Thompson, who went a combined 3-for-7, with five RBI, and four runs scored between the two of them.
The Mountaineers would finish the day with three errors, while only getting three hits at the plate, with the lone bright spot being Blasick. Blasick finished his day, going 2-for-3, driving in two runs, while scoring twice.
The Mountaineers will be back in action on Tuesday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, as they play Pitt in the Backyard Brawl.
“This was anomaly for our team. We’ve got a good team, and I promise you they’ll be ready for the Panthers this week,” Mazey said.
