Through 10 games this season, West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt has been on a tear. Coming into Wednesday, the sophomore was hitting .452, with 7 RBI, and three home runs, but did all his damage on the road.
Wetherholt and the Mountaineers would return home to Monongalia County Ballpark for their home opener against Canisuis and nothing changed for Wethetholt. In his first plate appearance, Wetherholt hit a two-run home run to right field, before later hitting a sacrifice-fly, as he helped push the Mountaineers to an 8-1 win over the Golden Griffins.
Canisius ambushed West Virginia starting pitcher Gavin Van Kempen. The first batter Van Kempen faced hit a home run off the batter’s eye in center field.
Wetherholt responded with his home run (4), after a Braden Barry single, he took the lead right back for the Mountaineers — a lead the Mountaineers would never relinquish. Wetherholt went 3-for-3 on the afternoon, with two doubles, in addition to the home run and sacrifice-fly.
Outside of the leadoff home run, Van Kempen (1-0) — a true freshman — settled into his first-career start. The Castleton, New York, native would pitch 5.1 innings, giving up one run on six hits and striking out eight in the process, on 88 pitches.
Outside of Wetherholt, the Mountaineer offense would never be able to fully figure out Canisius starting pitcher Tom Peltier. Peltier would only pitch 3.0 innings, while allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out three, and walking two.
West Virginia’s offense would get going in the middle innings, breaking the game open.
Wetherholt’s sacrifice-fly came in the fifth inning, plating Tevin Tucker who had doubled to begin the inning, pushing West Virginia’s lead to 3-1. In the sixth, the Mountaineers would score four more runs, with three coming on one swing of the bat from Barry.
After Barry had hit a foul ball, Canisius catcher Tommy Sheridan could not find, letting it fall in foul territory, Barry took advantage of the second chance, hammering a 2-2 breaking ball over the left field fence. Barry’s second home run of the season, put the Mountaineers in front 6-1, as he went 3-for-5 at the plate. West Virginia would get one more in the sixth, as a Caleb McNeely, scoring Wetherholt.
Canisius pitcher Peyton Consigli would be responsible for those runs. Consigli gave up five runs on four hits, in 2.2 innings pitched.
West Virginia would score again in the eighth, with back-to-back doubles from Wetherholt and Dayne Leonard to
The Mountaineer offense finished with 10 hits at the plate on the afternoon, tying them for their third-highest total this season.
