West Virginia baseball returned home after winning a road series against Oklahoma to face Akron. The Mountaineers were able to pick up third consecutive win, grinding out a 6-2 win on Tuesday night against the Zips.
West Virginia used a four-run third inning as that is all their offense could muster together.
The third inning started in a bad way for the Mountaineers. WVU starting pitcher Gavin Van Kempen walked James Strom, before Fisher Pyatt smoked a two-run home run to the WVU bullpen in right field, giving the Zips a 2-0 lead.
WVU would respond in the bottom half, capitalizing on six hits and an error in the inning.
Ben Lumsden walked to start the inning, stealing second and advancing to throw on a throwing error. Lumsden scored the first run of the game for WVU as Reed Chumley singled to score Lumsden. Grant Hussey singled to put runners on the corners, as Ellis Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to score Chumley and tie the game at 2-2.
West Virginia would not be done though as true freshman Aaron Jamison continued his recent tear. Jamison tripled to the right-center field gap, before he caught Akron sleeping, stealing home as he was responsible for two runs, increasing WVU’s lead to 4-2.
Jamison’s triple came off the bat at 112 MPH, making it to third with ease.
That is where the score would sit until the ninth inning, while Van Kempen didn’t allow another hit besides the home run. Van Kempen tossed 3.0 innings, allowing the one hit and two runs, striking out two. Just like last week against Marshall, Carson Estridge followed Van Kempen and did just what he was asked to do. Estridge gave up two hits, but no runs in two innings, striking out two.
Following Estridge was Joseph Fredericks who ran into trouble early walking the first batter he faced, earning a trip from head coach Randy Mazey. Fredericks retired the next three batters, and came back out for the seventh, striking out the first batter of the inning. He then gave up a walk and a single to two of the next three batters, as Mazey made another trip and this time his night was done. Maxx Yehl came in with two outs and got a strikeout to strand both runners.
Yehl was taken out in the eighth, after he threw an inning and struck out three. Hambleton Oliver came in to finish the eighth inning, before he also closed out the ninth.
WVU added two runs in the eighth inning, as Chumley singled and scored on a double from Kyle West, before West scored on a sac-fly from Grant Hussey.
WVU finished with 13 hits, with three of them of the extra-base variety.
