In the sixth inning on Saturday, TCU was in prime position to tie the series against West Virginia. The Mountaineers would persevere on the mound and at the plate, stranding the bases loaded, and then scoring six runs in the bottom of the inning as they beat the Horned Frogs 7-4 and won their second consecutive Big 12 series.
In the top of the sixth, West Virginia (28-11, 7-4 Big 12) turned to the bullpen. Starter Blaine Traxel battled through five innings, allowing four runs, and TCU (22-17, 7-7 Big 12) held a 4-1 lead. The Mountaineers handed the ball over to Maxx Yehl, who had given up only one run in his past four outings. Yehl would not have his sharpest of stuff, allowing a double and walking two runners to load the bases.
In came Grant Siegel out of the bullpen. A starter at the beginning of the year, found himself pitching in the biggest moment of the series. Siegel would get Cole Fontenelle to ground out, before the Mountaineer bats came alive in the bottom of the inning.
“Grant Siegel came in and go one huge out, that’s the first thing I noticed,” West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey said.
In the bottom of the inning, the Mountaineers used their bottom of the lineup to kickstart their offense for the second night in a row.
Logan Suave would be hit by a pitch, and Sam White tripled down the right field line, to put the Mountaineers down by only two. Then, the lineup flipped over and Tevin Tucker walked, before Landon Wallace had one of his team-high three hits, to plate White and Tucker and tie the game at 4-4.
“When you’re in our dugout and you see the bottom of their lineup come up, human nature is that the 7-8-9-hole hitters aren’t as good as the first six so you feel like it’s going to be an easier inning at the bottom of the lineup,” Mazey said. “Our bottom of the lineup is really producing and Tucker is really doing what he’s doing at the top of the lineup.”
The Mountaineer offense would not be done in the sixth though. After the Wallace single, Dayne Leonard added a single putting the runners on the corner with one out.
Mazey then called for a bunt from freshman Ellis Garcia. Garcia stabbed at the first pitch and bunted it foul, before missing his attempt at the second attempt. Mazey then called timeout and talked with his young utility infielder.
Garcia would then make up for it with a three-run home run, to put the Mountaineers in front 7-4, capping off what was a six-run sixth inning.
“He’s a young kid and after the two bunt attempts and the count was 0-2, you can just see in his eyes he was so disappointed he didn’t get the bunt down. I had to tell him, ‘just relax man. You’re in the hole, you got an 0-2 count, you have to relax you’re a great hitter with two strikes,'” Mazey said. “Don’t worry about the bunts, can’t worry about the bunts they’re ancient history. Fortunately he battled. He battled back to 2-2 I think and got a good pitch to hit.”
Garcia’s home run was the first he hit since Mar. 25 against Xavier, and it would ultimately be the difference for West Virginia.
“I was so upset when I missed that two,” Garcia said. “Mazey’s a great guy, great coach, and just to have the slightest bit of trust means the world to me for sure.”
Just as they did last night, West Virginia would need a strong final three innings out of the bullpen. Last Saturday against Oklahoma State the Mountaineers turned to Aidan Major who threw 5.1 innings in relief. This time they only needed nine outs from Major and he would give them just that.
Major — who was supposed to be in the rotation this year — threw 3.0 scoreless innings, striking out four, while allowing two hits to help finish the Horned Frogs off.
“Once again we’re down and the bullpen — Aidan Major did the same thing last Saturday in Stillwater — came in as a reliever and just finished the game,” Mazey said. “We prepared him as a starter this year and he was a weekend starter until the season started. He’s throwing really well right now and it’s great to have a guy like that in the middle game of a series.”
Major’s three scoreless innings was his first outing in which he did not give up a run since Mar. 8 — nine consecutive appearances where he surrendered at least one run.
West Virginia’s offense was led by Wallace and Garcia. Wallace went 3-for-4 at the plate, with three hits, and two RBI. Garcia was 1-for-3 with the three-run homer. And Tevin Tucker once again produced at the top of the lineup, with his average now hitting .368 on the season.
TCU starter Louis Rodriguez made his first start of the season. He pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, while striking out three.
With the win, WVU is 7-4 in Big 12 play and sit atop the Big 12 standings. The Mountaineers however have played three less games than the next closest Big 12 opponent. With the calendar beginning to turn to May, Mazey said he likes where his team is at, but they are not going to get complacent.
“We’re at the midway point and it doesn’t matter where you’re at midway of the season, but it’s better to be in first than last,” Mazey said. “Overconfidence is the number one reason you get complacent. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to go into every game like we’re the underdog.”
The Mountaineers will look to sweep the Horned Frogs on Sunday, at 1 p.m.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
