Four WVU pitchers allowed eight runs on Saturday, doing just enough to fend off the Houston Cougars.
West Virginia scored nine runs for the second game in a row, winning 9-8 after Friday’s 9-2 victory to go up two games in the series. The Mountaineers conclude their stay in Houston after Sunday’s 12:30 p.m. start.
Houston set the tone early, scoring three runs in the first, which WVU immediately matched in the top of the second. From there, the Mountaineer offense scored two runs in each of the next three innings. Houston scored once in the third and three times in the fifth to put the score at 9-7.
Gavin Van Kempen and Benjamin Hudson pitched the Houston runs, with Van Kempen starting before Hudson’s entrance for the last out of the third inning. After allowing three runs in the fifth, Hudson returned to the bullpen for sophomore Chase Meyer.
Van Kempen allowed five hits and four runs while walking two batters, striking out two, and throwing one wild pitch. Hudson threw just one hit but allowed four runners on base, walking one and hitting two with the pitch.
Hudson’s allowed hit was a three-run homer for senior left fielder Malachi Lott. The homer was Lott’s only hit of the game. Hudson threw four strikeouts and was credited with the win, improving his record to 2-0 on the year.
After Meyer’s entrance, Houston scored just once more, as Meyer walked four consecutive batters in the seventh. He was then pulled for junior Carson Estridge, who pitched his second save of the year. Estridge threw one hit, one walk, and one strikeout in 2.1 innings.
Offensively, the Mountaineers struggled against graduate student Antoine Jean, who closed for the Cougars. In two innings pitched, Jean threw one hit and six strikeouts. Having followed Graysen Drezek’s three hits, one walk, and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings, Jean’s performance kept WVU scoreless for the last four innings after scoring six runs in three innings on starter Richie Roman, who is now 0-5 this season.
With the series won, WVU improves to 3-1 in conference series and 9-3 in conference games.
