JJ Wetherholt Homers, WVU Baseball Wins Series vs. No. 17 UCF

JJ Wetherholt hit his first home run of the season on Saturday, tying the game for WVU Baseball on the way to a 7-5 come-from-behind win over No. 17 UCF.

Wetherholt’s home run went to the opposite field, the first of three such long balls for the Mountaineers on a windy day.

JJ WETHERHOLT HOME RUN!!#HailWV | @jj_wetherholt pic.twitter.com/BFFSEe5aog

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) April 13, 2024

Derek Clark pitched nine innings for the fourth consecutive start, pounding the zone with 87 strikes on 123 pitches and striking out ten batters for the Knights.

UCF took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, taking advantage of a wild pitch and an RBI double. The Mountaineers got one back in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with no outs after two hit batters—one of them Wetherholt—and an infield error that allowed catcher Logan Sauve to reach. Sam White grounded out to plate one run, but the rally died there.

Clark allowed a homer on the first pitch of the fourth, but the Mountaineers maintained a one run deficit with the help of more UCF miscues as an error and a wild pitch helped Brodie Kresser score via sacrifice fly. Wetherholt and Reed Chumley each smacked solo shots in the fifth, pushing West Virginia ahead 4-3.

JJ Wetherholt’s Bat Heats Up

Spencer King added a run in the sixth with a single, then JJ Wetherholt managed a productive out, lining out to increase the lead to 6-3. UCF and West Virginia hit dueling solo homers in the seventh, with White leading off the home half with an opposite field bomb.

The Knights put two runners on base in the ninth inning after a walk and an error, bringing the tying run to the plate. Clark allowed an RBI single, then induced a groundout to win the game.

WVU Baseball improves to 21-13 on the season (10-4 Big 12). They’ll play to sweep the series at 12 p.m. Sunday… and maintain their hold on the Big 12’s top spot in doing so.