Texas Gets Hot and Buries Mountaineers

The West Virginia Mountaineers (20-19, 4-9) dropped game one to the 19^th ranked Texas Longhorns (30-15, 12-4) after leading the game through the first six innings. The Longhorns outscored the Mountaineers 8-0 in the final three innings to win the game 11-6.

Mountaineer pitcher BJ Myers started the game throwing three straight balls but soon found his rhythm, coming back from a 3-0 count striking out lead off hitter Tate Shaw.

West Virginia left fielder Braden Zarbnisky started  the bottom of the first with a base hit up the middle, then Brandon White tripled up the middle scoring Zarbnisky

Myers was locked in, retiring nine out of the first ten batters keeping the Longhorns off the board.

Darius Hill got it going in the third with a tough ground ball to the shortstop reaching first for a single. Then on a hit and run, Kyle Gray singled through the left side advancing Hill to third.

With runners at first and third, Texas starting pitcher Nolan Kingham went for a pick off attempt at first base and an errant throw scored Hill from third, giving the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead.

Then there was a 51-minute weather delay in the bottom of the third inning with Tyler Doanes at the plate on a 2-2 count with one out.

Once play resumed, Gray was at second base and Kingham eventually walked Donaes but got Ivan Gonzalez to fly out to right field and Andrew Zitel to hit a groundball pack to him to get out of the inning

In the top of the fourth inning, Myers struck out Masen Hibbeler and then there was another delay.

After 36 minutes both teams came back out and Myers got Cody Clemens out swinging.

Now with two outs, Myers walked Zach Zubia before David Hamilton brought him around with a triple. Ryan Reynolds singled up the middle bringing in Hamilton and the Longhorns tied the game up at two.

Marques Inman started the bottom of the fifth inning drawing a walk. Kyle Gray put the ball in play and Texas shortstop David Hamilton had trouble fielding the ball, going off the end of his glove into centerfield and Inman took third.

Tyler Doanes doubled down the right field line bringing home Inman and Ivan Gonzalez brought in Gray singling up the middle capping of a three run inning.

The Mountaineers were leading 5-2 when Longhorns David Hamilton started the sixth inning with and base hit to right field. He ended up taking second base on a wild throw from a pick off attempt, putting Hamilton in scoring position.

Duke Ellis singled to left field scoring Hamilton and The Longhorns were threatening to have a big inning but left two men stranded in scoring position.

In the bottom of the sixth, Brandon White started it off with a walk and then stole second base before Darius Hill brought him in with a single.

The Mountaineers went to the seventh inning with a 6-3 lead, then Texas got hot.

Sam Kessler took the hill for Myers to start the seventh inning and he hit the first two batters he faced, then Zach Zubia reached on a fielding error by second baseman Kyle Gray.

Randy Mazey then brought in Braden Zarbnisky from left field to take the mound. The bases were loaded and no outs for Braden.

The Longhorns were locked in on Zarbnisky. Hamilton, Reynolds and Petrinsky had consecutive hits scoring five runs. Tate Shaw finished off their six-run inning with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Petrinsky.

Texas added two more runs in the final two innings of the game. Zubia hit a hard groundball to the left side of the field making it a tough play for shortstop Jimmy Galusky and Zubai reached first for a single.

Ryan Reynolds single in the gap through the left, scoring pinch runner Austin Todd.

Hibbeller finished the game with a solo homerun to put on a bow on the game for the Longhorn five point victory.

It was a tough loss for a Mountaineer team that was in control of the 19^th ranked Longhorns for the first six innings.

The baseball team will look for revenge in game two on Saturday at 4:00 pm est inside Monongalia County Ball Park.