West Virginia Pressure Cripples Baylor Late and Clinches Series

West Virignia hurler Blaine Traxel tosses a complete game shutout while the Mountaineers continued pressure provides two big late innings to crush Baylor

Waco, TX - West Virginia took a 2-0 lead heading into the eighth inning before the Mountaineers (32-11, 10-4) capitalized on Baylor miscues to put eight runs on the board in the final two innings while Blaine Traxel tossed a complete game shutout, recording six strikeouts, to bury the Bears (15-28, 6-14) and clinch the series 10-0.

West Virginia stressed the Baylor pitch staff early in the contest, loading the bases in the first but Baylor hurler Will Rigney knuckled in and struck out three consecutive Mountaineers to get out of the inning. 

The Mountaineers again loaded the bases in the second inning but with an out on the board before J.J. Wetherholt put the ball in play for the sacrifice RBI for the early 1-0 lead. 

Rigney kept West Virginia off the board for two consecutive innings and reliever Grant Golomb continued the momentum from the mound, tossing two hitless innings before Wetherholt smashed a leadoff home run to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead in the seventh. With runners at second and third, reliever Adam Muirhead was called in to record the final out of the inning.

In the top of the eighth, West Virginia broke the game open with the help of the three Baylor relievers. Logan Sauve got the Mountaineers started with a one-out single back up the middle, Tevin Tucker received a walk and Landon Wallace was struck in the back to load the bases with two outs. Then, Caleb McNeely drew a four-pitch RBI-walk, Dayne Leonard got the rare hit by pitch RBI, and a balk call on an attempted steal at home by Wallace capped off a three-run eighth inning. 

Grant Hussey lifted a leadoff home run in the ninth to start a five-run inning for the Mountaineers. Braden Barry followed with a double before Tevin Tucker walked and then beat the throw to second on a groundball from Wetherholt to load the bases. Baylor put a run across by beaning Wallace for the third time on the afternoon and Evan Smith cleared the bases with a high fly ball to left field that got caught in the wind and was misplayed by left fielder Gavin Brzozowski as the Mountaineers extended the lead for the final score of 10-0. 

The Mountaineers will look for the series sweep on Sunday at noon and streaming on ESPN+.

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