WVU Baseball Drops Series Opener in 12-2 Blowout at Texas

WVU Baseball fell to the Texas Longhorns in blowout fashion Thursday, losing 12-2 on the road. 

The Mountaineers began the weekend series without typical Friday starter Ben Hampton, opting for midweek man Carson Estridge instead. It’s unclear whether Hampton suffered an injury, or if they’re helping him rest up ahead of the Big 12 Tournament.

Texas starter Lucas Gordon pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while punching out eight batters.

Kansas State walked off TCU, meanwhile, to pull within a game of the Big 12 lead.

Porter Brown Dominates

Texas’ first three batters reached via single, and a fourth single (this one off the bat of left fielder Porter Brown, who managed eight RBI on the day) opened a 1-0 lead. 

Texas began the second with a pair of walks. The runners moved over on a bunt, and scored on a single from third baseman Peyton Powell. Another run made it on after a catcher’s interference call on Mountaineers’ backstop Dayne Leonard, and Brown hit his first home run of the game to go up 6-0.

Mountaineers’ left fielder Landon Wallace began the fourth with a single, taking second on a bunt. Two infield groundouts froze him there, though, as West Virginia couldn’t scrape a run across. 

Brown hit a two-run blast in the fourth to open an 8-0 lead. 

The Longhorns executed a double steal with runners at the corners in the sixth, baiting a throw to second from Leonard so the lead runner could swipe home. Brown hit his third home run of the day during the next at-bat, this one an opposite-field blast, extending the Longhorns’ lead to 11-0.

A THREE DINGER DAY FOR DOWNTOWN PORTER BROWN!@PorterBrown_27 goes oppo for his third home run of the ballgame! № 4 is 4-for-4 with 8 RBI!#HookEm pic.twitter.com/GbFXonAfgU

— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 19, 2023

First baseman Grant Hussey doubled in the seventh, moving to third on a single from third baseman Ellis Garcia before the rally died.

Shutout: Broken

Center fielder Braden Barry hit an RBI double in the eighth to break the shutout 11-1. The Longhorns added a run of their own in the bottom of the frame on a solo shot from right fielder Dylan Campbell.

Mountaineers’ pinch-hitters managed another run in the ninth.

WVU Baseball moves to 39-14 on the season (15-7 Big 12). They look to tie their series with the Longhorns at 7:30 pm Friday with Blaine Traxel on the mound.