WVU Baseball Avoids Series Sweep, Downs Georgia Southern 13-4

The West Virginia Mountaineers won their first game of the season, defeating the Georgia Southern Eagles 13-4. 

West Virginia flipped the script from their first two games. They managed to get hits with runners in scoring position, putting the Eagles away early and taking pressure off the bullpen, which put in a solid performance.

The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Mountaineers starter Grant Siegel walked the first batter he faced, then allowed a home run by Georgia Southern slugger Noah Ledford. 

West Virginia wasted no time getting the lead back, putting two runners on on back-to-back pitches as designated hitter Logan Suave was hit by a pitch and freshman first baseman Sam White knocked a single up the middle for the first hit of his college career. 

Left fielder Landon Wallace then pulled a 1-2 pitch over the wall for a 3-2 Mountaineers lead, and their first home run of the season. 

𝘽𝙖𝙩 𝙁𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙎𝙕𝙉! pic.twitter.com/Khxcym34cS

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) February 19, 2023

The Mountaineers went yard again in the third inning, this time off the bat of third baseman Caleb McNeely, to make it 4-2.

GOING, GOING, GONE!!!!@landonwallace with the first 💣 of the season for the Mountaineers and it gives WVU the lead!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/09ciwAluUh

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) February 19, 2023

Georgia Southern got one back in the bottom of the frame off a leadoff double brought around by a pair of groundouts.

Siegel loaded the bases with a single bookended by a pair of walks, but escaped the fourth inning unscathed with a timely fielder’s choice.

With Georgia Southern threatening, the Mountaineers found the knockout punch they’d been missing in the first two games. They loaded the bases with three walks, and redshirt senior Tevin Tucker made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly. Junior Braden Barry cleared the bases with West Virginia’s third home run of the game, opening an 8-3 onslaught.

OFF HIS OWN FACE!!@barry_braden launches a three-run jack off the videoboard to extend the Mountaineer lead!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/CR9B7Ujjf9

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) February 19, 2023

Each team added a run in the seventh to make it 9-4: West Virginia via a fielding error, Georgia Southern by a bases-loaded walk.

The Mountaineers added insurance in the ninth, loading the bases and then bringing four runs home with a Dayne Leonard sacrifice fly, a two-run single by McNeely, and a passed ball to cap a walk by Suave to make it 13-4.

West Virginia moves to 1-2 on the season. The Mountaineers take the field at Maryland at 4pm on Tuesday, February 21.