Grant Hussey Walk-Off Sends WVU Baseball over Rider 5-4 in Extras

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia Mountaineers (7-4) welcomed the Rider Broncs (6-4) to Monongalia County Ballpark for Tuesday baseball under the lights. WVU opened a four-game home stand with a 5-4 extra innings win over the Broncs, reinvigorating its win streak after the 1-2 finish at Minnesota’s Cambria College Classic.

The Mountaineers came home this week, but were met with a Rider team ready to battle.

It only took until the top of the second inning for a team to finally christen the scoreboard. WVU’s redshirt sophomore righty Tyler Stretchay walked junior Brendan O’Donnell to start the inning. After O’Donnell advanced courtesy of a Luke Lesch single, another well-hit single into center field came from junior Jack Winsett that brought O’Donnell home.

WVU answered in the bottom of the inning, only requiring freshman Grant Hussey and sophomore Mikey Kluska to get on the board. Back-to-back doubles lead off the inning; Hussey’s shot hit shallow right center, and Kluska’s dribbled down the left field line to score the first baseman and tie up the score at one.

WVU head coach Randy Mazey brought in righty Will Watson in the third, and the freshman proceeded to down the side in 1-2-3 fashion.

When the Mountaineers returned to the base path, a single from senior right fielder Austin Davis got a WVU runner on first, but he didn’t stay there for long. He promptly stole second and third on a throwing error, cementing his status as WVU’s leading base stealer. Of WVU’s 37 stolen bases this season, Davis has accounted for seven. That’s good enough to rank the Mountaineers No. 5 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big 12.

Placing Davis at third put him in prime position to get knocked in by a double off the bat of sophomore DH McGwire Holbrook. The 2-1 lead would stand until the top of the seventh inning. Mazey took advantage of his bullpen depth to quell the Broncs’ constant advancement, exchanging three pitchers in that time frame. With sophomore righty Ben Abernathy on the mound, the Broncs finally built up the momentum they needed. Abernathy came in to relieve redshirt junior righty Noah Short and kick off the seventh, but play at the plate soon got out of hand.

Bronc Socrates Bardatsos loaded up the bases with no outs courtesy of a hard-hit single to center field, and the base clearing began. Teammates Jake Barbiere, at second, and Jordan Erbe, at third, would soon both cross home plate. Next up: the heart of the order’s junior John Volpe, whose sacrifice ground out was enough to score Erbe and tie the game at two. The Broncs’ sophomore Brian Skettini sent his respective sacrifice to center field, scoring Barbiere and taking the lead, 3-2. O’Donnell calmed the bats with a steady single back to WVU’s junior Victor Scott at center field; that play scored Volpe and took a 4-2 lead.

The bottom of the eighth brought the action back to WVU’s side. A sac fly off the bat of Hussey sent Wetherholt home, depleting the Broncs’ lead to one. Scott took over at third base and Holbrook advanced to second. With two runners in scoring position, the WVU bats weren’t done yet. Kluska reached on a gutsy fielder’s choice, scoring Scott and tying the ballgame at four heading into the final inning.

WVU’s seventh pitcher of the night, junior righty Jacob Watters, dealt the Broncs a quick four-batter inning. Rider responded with an equally as condensed bottom of the ninth and sent the game to extras.

In the Mountaineers’ first extra innings match-up of the season, Mazey sent out freshman righty Michael Kilker in the top of the 10th inning. Kilker retired the side and opening up the bottom of the 10th inning for the WVU bats. Evan Smith, pinch hitting for Holbrook, walked to kick off the inning. Kluska came up next, and in true closer fashion, skied a walk-off double into the outfield on the second pitch of his at-bat, allowing Smith ample time to saunter home and secure the 5-4 victory. WVU ends with 5 runs on 11 hits to Rider’s four runs on 10 hits. A close game, bested by the Mountaineers.

“It was a team effort,” Hussey said. “Evan Smith had a nice at-bat before and got the momentum rolling and just kept it going.”

With the victory, WVU extends its midweek win streak to 21 and moves to 5-1 over the Broncs. Kilker picks up his second win of the season and the Mountaineers move to 8-4. They’ll come back to Monongalia Country Ballpark on Friday to open a weekend series with Ohio State. Friday’s first pitch is slated for 6 p.m.