WVU Baseball Drops Series Opener to Houston as Late Rally Falls Short

WVU Baseball suffered a 10-7 loss on Friday, April 17 to open their weekend home series against Houston.

The Cougars tagged Mountaineers (25-9,10-6 Big 12) starting pitcher Dawson Montesa for four runs in the third inning.

Matt Ineich laced an RBI single to left-center in the bottom of the frame, plating Zahir Barjam after a leadoff double, but West Virginia’s defense began to unravel in the middle innings. Montesa sailed a pickoff attempt, helping Houston to add another run, then Ineich committed an error in the seventh that helped spark a three-run rally.

Tyrus Hall began the bottom of the inning with a home run, Ineich hit another RBI single, and a bases loaded walk and a catcher’s interference call cut the deficit to 8-5 as West Virginia solved Houston starter Kendall Hoffman and chased him from the game.

The Mountaineers’ bullpen couldn’t keep them in the game, however, as Bryant Yoak and David Perez allowed one run apiece. Sean Smith flipped a two-out, two-run single to right in the ninth, but the rally and the game ended there.

WVU baseball will return to action at 11 A.M. on Saturday, April 18; they moved the game time forward because of expected inclement weather.