WVU defeated BYU by a score of 20-6 to even the series a game apiece after dropping the opener 14-5 on Thursday.
The Mountaineers got out to an early lead on a 107 mph single to left field off the bat of Armani Guzman to give the team a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. BYU responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the second to tie the game at one.
WVU would retake the lead in the third with a home run off the bat of Skylar King, his second of the year to take a 2-1 lead, Gavin Kelly followed that up with an RBI single, bringing home Kyle West to make it a 3-1 ballgame. The Cougars would cut into the two-run deficit with a single by Brock Watkins.
The Mountaineers starter Gavin Van Kempen was pulled with two outs in the fifth. He threw 4.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out four. Chase Meyer was the first one out of the bullpen for WVU.
Spencer Barnett lined a single to right field, bringing home a pair of Mountaineers to extend their lead to 5-2. The Mountaineers then exploded offensively in the seventh, scoring seven runs. Spencer Barnett started the inning with a two-rbi triple off the wall in center field. RBI singles by Brodie Kresser, Jace Rinehart, and Gavin Kelly made the game 12-2.
They would again explode in the eighth for eight runs, an RBI single by Ellis Garcia to get the inning started. Kyle West was hit by a pitch to bring another run in, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Grant Hussey brought in another. RBI doubles by Alex Marot and Armani Guzman would make the game 20-2, heading into the bottom half of the eighth.
In the ninth, BYU would add four runs on a double and an RBI single, but it wasn’t enough, and the Mountaineers cruised to a huge 20-6 win to even the series at a game a piece. Carson Estride will get the ball for West Virginia tomorrow at 2 p.m. EST in the rubber match as the Mountaineers look to leave Utah taking two out of three.
