It was just one of those nights if you are No. 6 West Virginia baseball.
Needing one win to clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title, the Mountaineers bats went silent, while Texas’ Porter Brown smashed three home runs in the Longhorns’ 12-2 win in game one on Thursday.
West Virginia went an alternative route from normal game one starter Ben Hampton when they gave the ball to freshman Carson Estridge. Estridge (3-1) would be in trouble from the very first batter of the game, allowing four hits to open the game as Texas took a 1-0 lead. With the bases loaded and nobody out though, Estridge would navigate his way out of the first inning not allowing any more damage to be done.
Estridge would struggle again in the second though, walking the first two batters he faced, before giving up a single to Peyton Powell to extend the Longhorn lead to 3-0. West Virginia head coach turned to Randy Mazey to try and get out of the second inning without giving up any further damage.
That wish would not be granted as another freshman in Maxx Yehl surrendered a three-run home run to Porter Brown, putting the Longhorns in front 6-0 after just two innings.
Brown would not be done though, homering off of Yehl again in the fourth, before homering once more for good measure in the sixth off Grant Siegel, putting the Longhorns up 11-0. Brown finished the day with going 4-for-5, with three home runs, and eight RBI.
Conversely to Mazey going with a freshman, Texas sent their ace Lucas Gordon to the mound to try and slow down a West Virginia offense, who had scored the second-most runs in the Big 12 since conference play began. Gordon (6-1) would shut down West Virginia’s lineup, pouring in strikes while keeping the off balance in the process.
Gordon would finish seven scoreless innings, giving up only four hits and one walk, while striking out eight on 95 pitches thrown.
West Virginia would get on the board in the eighth inning after Texas went away from Gordon. JJ Wetherholt recorded his only hit of the game and would later score on a Braden Barry double. The Mountaineers got one more in the ninth, with a single from Evan Smith to score Caleb McNeely. In total, West Virginia’s offense finished with seven hits and left 10 runners on base.
What The Loss Means Big Picture
Big picture, the loss does not change anything for the Mountaineers. Your magic number is still one, and all you have to do is win. Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma on Thursday, meaning they are just one game behind with two games to play. If West Virginia wins one game, no matter if Oklahoma State sweeps the Sooners, then the Mountaineers will be the No. 1 overall seed in the Big 12 Tournament and hold a share of the Big 12 title.
Game Two
Game two will be on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The Mountaineers are sending Blaine Traxel to the hill, hoping he can repeat what he did last week against Texas Tech. Traxel has pitched at least seven innings in each of his last three outings, and is coming off a game in which he threw 8.0 innings, while giving up two runs on six hits.
