There is some Mountaineer magic in Clemson, South Carolina.
For the second day in a row, West Virginia scored in the ninth inning. This time, they sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring four runs on four hits, as they erased a 5-4 deficit in the eighth inning, before taking the lead in the ninth, as they beat Clemson 9-6, to advance to the Clemson Regional Final on Sunday.
West Virginia's Grant Hussey entered the weekend as WVU's all-time home run leader. He did not start either game, but was inserted into the game for defense on Saturday.
In the ninth, he started things with a two-out walk, before the next batter, Sam White, doubled off the wall, giving WVU a 6-5 lead. It would then be a carousel for WVU, as they went single, single, single, hit-by-pitch, hit-by-pitch, as only one ball left the infield for WVU, stunning the Clemson faithful at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Mountaineers made it anything but easy as Chase Meyer stayed in the game for the ninth inning. Meyer got two quick outs before a single, walk, and hit-by-pitch brought the tying run to the plate for the Tigers.
It was then a walk for Meyer, as WVU's lead was at 9-6, putting the winning run in the batter's box. Meyer then went 2-0 on Jack Crighton, before head coach Steve Sabins turned to Ben McDougal in the bullpen. McDougal would get a strikeout to end the game and send the Mountaineers one win away from a Super Regional performance.
Clemson sent Aidan Knaak to the mound, their ace this season, after not using him yesterday against USC Upstate, and the Tigers entered the game having not lost a game in which Knaak started on the mound while at home this year.
Knaak started the game with a staredown of WVU’s Skylar King, while the at-bat ended with King walking to first base, staring Knaak down after a hit-by-pitch.
That baserunner would propel the Mountaineers as Logan Sauve then singled, before Kyle West plated one on a groundout. Jace Rinehart then broke a 0-for-20 streak with a double to right field, scoring another, before Sam White plated another with a single as WVU jumped on Knaak and took a 3-0 lead in the first.
West Virginia countered with Jack Kartsonas, who was controlling the game early on. Through four innings, Kartsonas allowed only one hit and no runs, tossing 48 pitches.
In the fifth, WVU’s offense tacked on another run, as Sauve delivered an RBI single, putting WVU in front 4-0. The Mountaineers look destined to add to that total as they had bases loaded with one out and the middle of their order coming to the plate. Rinehart and Sam White would both strike out swinging, ending the threat as the lead stayed at four runs.
Clemson got on the board in the sixth inning and did so in a big way.
Cam Cannarella hit his second home run in as many days, a two-run shot that sneaked over the wall in left field, cutting WVU’s lead in half to 4-2.
Kartsonas would end up facing one more batter, as the Mountaineers turned to the bullpen with one out in the sixth inning. The first arm they turned to was Carson Estridge, who in his last four appearances allowed 12 hits and 14 runs. Estridge lasted seven pitches, throwing only one strike in the process. He faced two batters, hitting the first guy, walking the second, as his night was quickly over.
Next came Reese Bassinger, the same guy who closed the game last night, and on the first pitch he threw, Jack Crighton hit a double to center, plating one, before Jacob Jarrell hit a sac-fly, tying the game at 4-4.
In the seventh, West Virginia tried to answer right back. Skylar King doubled to start the inning, before Sauve would bunt, but the ball popped up, and King had to stay put at second. West was then intentionally walked, before Grant Hussey, who was benched each of the last two games, fouled out. Next came White, who had already stranded the bases loaded once. White hit a ball down the left field line, which was foul by inches, before he would later fly out to end the inning.
Clemson took advantage of the Mountaineers in the bottom of the inning as Andrew Ciufo tripled, as West dove for a ball in left field, failing to get it, as it rolled to the wall. In stepped Cannarella, who then doubled to left field, giving the Tigers a 5-4 lead.
Bassinger exited as Chase Meyer came in with the bases loaded and one out. Two pitches later, Meyer got out of the inning with a double play, keeping WVU within one.
West Virginia would battle back for the second day in a row as Brodie Kresser singled, before Armani Guzman ripped a double to the gap, scoring Kresser and tying the game at 5-5.
White doubled home Jorge Valdes, who ran for Hussey in the ninth, but the biggest at-bat came from Lumsden, who was barely hitting above .100, delivering a two-out single, keeping the inning alive before WVU kept the line moving.
Meyer would stay in the game in the ninth, getting a strikeout, fly out, before allowing a two-out single to Cannarella. He then issued a walk to Jarren Purify, bringing the middle of the Clemson lineup to the plate.
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