West Virginia needed all the offense they could get on Wednesday night at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh. Facing their rival Panthers in the third iteration of the Backyard Brawl this season, the Mountaineers lead by six runs at one point, but their lead dwindled to just one in the late innings.
The bullpen would prevail though as the Mountaineers held on to beat Pitt 9-8 and sweep their rival this season.
It has all started with JJ Wetherholt this season for West Virginia and he added to it once again on Wednesday. Wetherholt singled in his first at-bat, before hustling out a double his second trip to the plate. The nation’s leader in batting average would step to the plate for the third time and would hit a two-run home run, breaking a 3-3 tie and giving WVU a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning.
The Mountaineer offense added on in the fifth after two walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for the Mountaineers.
With the last two spots in the order due up, it did not matter for West Virginia. True freshman Ellis Garcia knocked home two runs on a single, before a fellow true freshman Logan Suave singled to score one more. Garcia and Suave would then successfully convert a double steal, which plated Garcia and extended WVU’s lead to 9-3.
Pitt battled back, working their way through a plethora of arms in the WVU bullpen.
Pitt scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, as they chased WVU starter Carson Estridge from the game. Estridge had started the previous two games against the Panthers this season for WVU, but would not be able to make it past the fifth inning.
Estridge allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, before Noah Martinez singled to plate the first run of the inning. Kyle Hess then scored Jayden Melendez to put the Panthers down just 9-5.
After scoring nine runs in the first five innings, West Virginia’s offense would lose the firepower they had early on. Between the sixth and ninth innings, the Mountaineer offense was only able to piece together two hits, while Pitt’s offense continued to claw back.
The Panthers used a walk and two consecutive singles to load the bases in the seventh inning. The Mountaineers then got a roundball, but would be unsuccessful at turning the double play, and an error on the throw from JJ Wetherholt allowed a total of two runs to score. Justin Acal would double and it would put the Panthers down 9-8.
In the ninth, West Virginia turned to their closer Carlson Reed to shut the door on the Panthers. Reed would strike out Martinez to start the inning, but would allow a single and a walk to put the pressure on. Reed would get Acal to strike out swinging to end the game.
Pitt got on the board in the first off of Estridge with a home run from Martinez. Pitt added another run in the top of the first on a fielder’s choice, before Estridge was able to get out of the jam. Estridge’s final line included 4.1 innings pitched, seven hits, five runs, and three strikeouts.
West Virginia answered back on a three-run home run from Caleb McNeely in the second inning, his 11th of the season.
WVU’s Noah Short (4-0) picked up the win, throwing 0.2 innings.
West Virginia has six games left in the regular season and their final three home games come against Texas Tech this weekend. The Mountaineers will look to stay in first place in the Big 12 standings as well.
