WVU Baseball Defeats Oklahoma 9-3 After Rain Delay

The WVU baseball team took the game and the series on Sunday, downing the Oklahoma Sooners 9-3 after rain delayed the action throughout the day. 

No. 12 West Virginia built an insurmountable lead early, allowing them to coast after a rain delay that lasted close to four hours.

West Virginia second baseman JJ Wetherholt hammered the first pitch over the left field fence, opening a 1-0 lead.

THERE GOES THAT MAN AGAIN!@jj_wetherholt goes deep to put the Mountaineers on top!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/uOdCs18Vbd

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) May 7, 2023

Sooners’ starter Carter Campbell hit catcher Dayne Leonard and first baseman Grant Hussey with pitches in the second. A walk to third baseman Ellis Garcia loaded the bases, and designated hitter Logan Sauve poked a double down the left field line to clear them. Shortstop Tevin Tucker doubled to bring Sauve home, giving West Virginia a 5-0 lead. 

Leonard singled in the third, and Hussey doubled him home before rain suspended the game. 

After the Rain

Sauve hit a home run on the first pitch of the fourth to make it 7-0. 

The usual suspects struck again for Oklahoma in the fifth inning, with the potent top of their lineup scoring as they had all series. Sooners’ infielder Anthony Mackenzie walked with two outs. He scored on a single from right fielder Bryce Madron, aided by a fielding error from Mountaineers’ right fielder Caleb McNeely. Two more singles from Sooners’ shortstop Dakota Harris and and left fielder Kendall Pettis made it 7-3.

West Virginia stretched the lead to 9-3 in the seventh. Center fielder Braden Barry walked and Leonard wore a pitch to put two on with one out. Hussey singled to plate Barry, and Leonard scored on a sacrifice fly from McNeely. The Sooners caught Hussey too far from home on the play, doubling him off first base to end the inning.

WVU moves to 36-12 on the season (13-5 Big 12) and heads to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to play in the final game of the 2023 Backyard Brawl series at 6pm. The Mountaineers have already beat the Panthers twice this year.