After picking up a win in the Big 12 Quarterfinals on Thursday, the Mountaineers looked more like the team that got swept by Kansas rather than the team that beat Cincinnati, as their Big 12 Tournament run ended with a 12-1 loss to Arizona on Friday.
No. 1-seeded West Virginia’s offense has carried them throughout most of their season, but since they hit their losing skid, the bats have gone cold and remained that way against the Wildcats.
The Mountaineers hit into three double plays on the evening, as the two offenses were polar opposites in WVU’s loss.
No. 4-seeded Arizona got on the board on a big blast off the bat of Mason White in the first inning. White ambushed WVU starter Jack Kartsonas on a 3-1 count, taking a fastball the other way for a 409-foot home run. White would eventually end Kartsonas’ day on the mound as he hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning, as that was the last pitch Kartsonas threw as Arizona took a 5-0 lead.
Kartsonas would not be his normal self that the Mountaineers had seen in recent weeks. He struggled to throw strikes consistently, as his pitch count quickly rose and the Wildcats took advantage.
On the other side, Arizona starter Raul Garayzar was able to shut down WVU’s bats. Garayzar was making his sixth start of the season, entering the day with a 2.45 ERA. He was just that good, as the Mountaineers couldn’t piece anything together.
WVU left a runner on base in each of the first three innings, and then in the fourth, the inning ended on a double play as Spencer Barnett hit a rocket right to Arizona first baseman Tommy Splaine, who then stepped on the bag to double off the runner on first.
After the Wildcats added three in the fifth, their offense didn’t stop there. In the sixth, they added two more as after two outs, Arizona went walk, single, walk, single, scoring two more runs in the process as they led 7-0.
In the bottom of the inning, WVU would get a leadoff single, before Ben Lumsden ripped a ball, but right into a double play.
Garayzar's day ended with him throwing 6.0 innings, allowing no runs on six hits, striking out three in the process.
Arizona didn't slow down on offense in the seventh, as their two-out success continued. The Wildcats added two more runs on a two-run double from Aaron Walton, taking a 9-0 lead. Arizona added another run as White delivered again with an RBI single.
The Wildcats ended the afternoon going 9-for-17 with two outs, and then 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position. West Virginia went 4-for-12 at the plate with two outs, and the Mountaineers did not get a runner into scoring position until the seventh inning.
The run would score as Chase Swain was able to drive in Armani Guzman with an RBI single to right field, coming off the bench.
Arizona would continue to mash in the ninth, as White would stay scorching hot at the plate. He recorded his fourth hit and sixth RBI of the night on a double in the ninth, scoring another run.
Up next for West Virginia is finding out their NCAA Tournament fate on Monday. They will likely be a two-seed when the tournament begins next weekend.
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