WVU Baseball Claims Series as Maxx Yehl Blanks Baylor

WVU Baseball claimed the rubber match in their road series against Baylor as junior left-hander Maxx Yehl fired eight scoreless innings, striking out 12 batters and allowing just three hits, all singles. The Mountaineers (13-4, 2-1 Big 12) won 8-0.

West Virginia’s first baserunner came in the fourth inning when Matt Ineich poked a single through the right side. Baylor starter Ethan Calder picked Ineich off before allowing a single to Gavin Kelly, thrown out on a relay as he tried to stretch at second and give his offense a spark.

Matt Graveline broke the ice in the sixth with a solo home run. From there the floodgates opened. West Virginia loaded the bases in the seventh, chasing Calder from the game before tacking on four runs with a Brodie Kresser sacrifice fly, an Armani Guzman double and a gift run via passed ball. Yehl struck out the side in the seventh, his penultimate inning, getting stronger as the game went on and finishing with 108 pitches thrown. The Mountaineers piled on three more runs in the ninth.

Head coach Steve Sabins deployed reliever David Perez to close the Bears out, and the freshman right-hander struck out the side in his Big 12 debut.

WVU Baseball will return to action against Penn State at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17.