WVU Baseball Loses to Illinois 6-2 in Game 2 of Cambria Classic

It only took four plays to change the complexity of today’s match-up.

Today at U.S Bank Stadium, the 7-2 West Virginia Mountaineers met the 2-5 Illinois Illini in game two of the 2022 Cambria Classic. These foes are familiar, even at a neutral site; the two last met in 2020 in Myrtle Beach, SC’s Brittain Resorts Invitational, where the Illini dealt head coach Randy Mazey’s Mountaineers a 2-1 defeat. Illinois not only leads the series in 2022’s iteration, but also handedly takes the neutral site games as well, 7-3. Today was no different.

What Mountaineer fans may have perceived yesterday as a cooling down of the WVU bats carried into today. Fortunately, the defense was lead through the first six innings by sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton, who kept Illinois not only off the scoreboard, but off the base paths. Hampton produced lights-out pitching, collecting 1-2-3 innings in the first, third, and fifth innings.

It was the second inning that stalled Hampton, and allowed one pitch-worth of error. Unfortunately, that was more than enough for Illinois’ junior infielder Cam McDonald, who took one look at the first presented pitch and skied it, good for a home run that also brought teammate freshman Ryan Moerman in from first. In one pitch, the Mountaineers had a 2-0 deficit. The Illini weren’t satisfied with only two runs, though.

In the seventh inning, Mazey replaced Hampton (6IP-2R-5H-9K-24BF) with freshman right-handed pitcher Michael Kilker. Two batters later, the Illini had a runner hit by a pitch and in scoring position courtesy of a Mountaineer throwing error. The runner, sophomore Brody Harding, would be set to round third base and head home when sophomore teammate Cal Hejza doubled down the third base line and brought him in from second to up the Illini score to 3-0.

By this point, the Mountaineer momentum was in question. This game was the first of 2022 to hold WVU scoreless, and Illinois was far from done tallying the scoreboard.

Kilker came out in the eighth (1IP-1R-1H-2K-6BF) in lieu of redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Strechay. The game was about to get uglier for the Mountaineers when Moerman sent a hefty shot to right field, good for a double and an advancement to third base for junior Kellan Sarver, who had singled the previous at-bat. Power-hitter McDonald was back up to bat, and would immediately make WVU regret leaving runners on the base path when he entered the batter’s box. Despite a ground-out scooped up by Mountaineer sophomore Mikey Kluska at shortstop, McDonald’s contact would send Sarver home and Moerman in perfect position to capitalize. The next batter, Harding, sent a double down the right field line, scoring Moerman and adding a fifth run to the Illinois scoreboard.

WVU entered the final inning scoreless, even while Illinois tacked on one more. It became a game of chipping away at the WVU infield that would eventually snap Illinois’ three-game losing streak. Such was the situation surrounding the Illini’s sixth score. Sophomore Danny Doligate singled to shallow right center and promptly stole second. A single from fellow sophomore Justin Janas would follow, which scored Doligate and upped the WVU deficit to 6-0 too late in the game for the Mountaineers to make dramatic change.

That didn’t stop the WVU lineup from trying. A Victor Scott single set him in a good place to welcome clean-up hitter McGwire Holbrook next. The sophomore catcher sent his at-bat into left field, advancing Scott to second. Sophomore Nathan Blasick, pinch hitting, would earn a 3-1 walk out of right-handed pitcher Jack Wenninger to load the bases; suddenly, the Mountaineer offense seemed to be back in its swing. With one out and the bases loaded in crunch time, redshirt junior catcher Dayne Leonard took advantage of a fielding error to get to first, move Blasick to second, and send both Holbrook and Scott crossing home plate. That play concluded the Mountaineer scoring for the game; sophomore outfielder Braden Barry, up next, grounded into a double play, effectively shutting the door on Day 2 of the Cambria Classic with a final score of 6-2.

WVU would end the game with only three hits (two from Holbrook and one from Scott) two of which happened in the bottom of the ninth inning, to Illinois’ 11. WVU’s Hampton would earn the loss, while Illinois’ starter, right-handed pitcher Riley Gowens, would earn the win. There’s no time to mourn the Mountaineer loss, as WVU takes the field again tomorrow at 11 a.m. EST to face Michigan State in Day 3 of the Cambria Classic. It’s slated to be the final away game before the team heads back to Monongalia County Ballpark to play Rider on Mar. 9.