WVU Baseball Blanks Western Kentucky Behind Major, White

WVU Baseball shut out the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 4-0 on Friday thanks to standout performances from left fielder Sam White and starting pitcher Aidan Major.

White powered the offense with home runs in back to back innings, tallying three RBI in the process. That created all the offense the Mountaineers needed, as Major went seven scoreless innings on 109 pitches.

Shortstop Ellis Garcia hit a one-out double in the second inning. First baseman Grant Hussey walked to put two aboard, but the Mountaineers couldn’t advance the runners from there.

Major allowed a two-out single in the bottom of the frame, with the runner advancing to third after a wild pitch and an errant pickoff throw. The Mountaineers’ ace walked the next batter on a payoff pitch, then rebounded to escape the inning, forcing—and fielding—a comebacker.

White led off the fourth inning with a home run to break the ice. The Mountaineers loaded the bases from there, but couldn’t scrape another run across.

White pushed the lead to 3-0 the next inning with a line drive homer to straight away center field that scored catcher Logan Sauve.

Sauve scored the Mountaineers’ next run thanks to Hilltoppers miscues, doubling down the left field line before taking third on a wild pitch and coming home as Western Kentucky’s catcher committed a throwing error trying to save the play.

The Hilltoppers’ leadoff man to reach in the seventh, but Major forced a lineout and a double play to put an exclamation point on his scoreless outing.

David Hagaman sealed the deal with two scoreless innings in relief.

WVU Baseball moves to 6-4 on the season. Their series with the Hilltoppers continues tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. EST. Tyler Switalski and Hayden Cooper will start those games for the Mountaineers.