West Virginia baseball continued their hot start to the season on Sunday, sweeping their doubleheader against Lipscomb, winning game one 5-0, and game two, 4-2.
West Virginia's pitching staff gave up just two runs between the two games combined, helping the Mountaineers secure the doubleheader sweep and series win.
Game four of the series is set for noon on Monday and the game will be televised on ESPN+.
Game One
It was a pitching masterclass by West Virginia in game one. The Mountaineers earned the 5-0 shutout victory, using five pitchers who only gave up two combined hits in the win.
Things would sit scoreless through the first half of the game as neither lineup could scratch across a run.
In the first, WVU had runners on second and third with one out, but would not be able to get either across. Logan Sauve would try to take home on a wild pitch, but the ball took a fortuitous bounce off the backstop, getting to the Lipscomb catcher who tagged Sauve out. Then, West Virginia stayed aggressive as Sam White attempted a steal of home but was thrown out to end the inning.
Lipscomb would get their first hit of the game in the fourth inning and it caused trouble for WVU's Robby Porco. Porco gave up a one-out double, and after a ground out, he walked two batters in a row to load the bases. Porco would then hand the ball to Chase Meyer who was able to get a strikeout on a full count to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
WVU's offense took that momentum and ran with it in the fifth inning. Chase Swain hit a home run, his first of the season to start the inning and then Kyle West would later connect on a two-run home run to give the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead.
Lipscomb would not record another hit until the eighth inning, as Meyer (1-0) controlled the middle innings for the Mountaineers.
Meyer finished the day tossing 3.1 innings, giving up one hit, two walks, and struck out five. Porco finished the game going 3.2 innings, walking five, surrendering one hit while striking out five.
WVU used three more pitchers after those two, and they all put up a scoreless effort over a combined two innings of work.
The Mountaineers added two more runs in the seventh, as Sauve tripled before Sam White scored him on an RBI ground out. Then, Alex Marot hit an infield single, before Armani Guzman came into the game to run for Marot. Guzman advanced to third on an error and then he scored on a ground out from Jace Rinehart.
Lipscomb starting pitcher Rigo Ramos tossed 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits, walking five, and striking out three.
WVU's offense totaled nine hits in game one, as Sauve and West each had two. The Mountaineers walked five times and struck out six times.
WVU's pitching staff held Lipscomb to two total hits, striking out 12, while walking eight. They stranded 10 runners on base for the Bison.
Game Two
West Virginia got going early in game two as Michael Perazza launched WVU's third home run of the day, a solo blast in the first inning to put the Mountaineers in front 1-0.
Gavin Van Kempen got the start on the mound for West Virginia, facing the minimum through three innings before he ran into trouble in the fourth.
Van Kempen gave up his first hit of the day to start the inning, a double to the right-centerfield gap. He then gave up a walk and a single as Lipscomb tied the game at 1-1, but he limited further damage as he got two more outs to get out of the inning.
West Virginia grabbed another run in the fifth as Sauve singled before White doubled to score Sauve and give the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead. That lead did not last long as Lipscomb answered with a run in the bottom of the inning, as Van Kempen was pulled after a walk.
In came Carson Estridge, with one out and a runner on first. Estridge (2-0) gave up two singles to two batters before he got a strikeout and a fly out to escape the jam with the game still tied at 2-2.
Van Kempen finished the game throwing 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking two, and striking out three.
The Mountaineers would retake the lead in the seventh as Lipscomb's miscues paid off for WVU. Guzman walked, stole second, and then advanced to third on a ground out from Sauve. He would then score on a passed ball that the Lipscomb simply mishandled and didn't catch, allowing Guzman to cruise home with ease, giving the Mountaineers a 3-2 lead.
The Mountaineers would secure an insurance run in the eighth as Gavin Kelly singled, advancing to second on a bunt, before he swiped third. Kresser would then work a seven-pitch at-bat, finishing it off with a single through the right side, to score Kelly, increasing WVU's lead to 4-2.
The Mountaineers continued to stick with Estridge in relief, as he retired the side in order in the sixth, before doing so in the seventh in an unconventional way as he got a double play to end the frame. It was another unconventional double play to end the eighth as a line drive caught by Marot was able to get the runner at first to send the game to the ninth.
Estridge kept rolling along in the ninth, working around a one-out hit to retire the side and seal the win for the Mountaineers. Estridge finished the day throwing 4.2 innings, surrendering four hits but gave up no runs and struck out five.
WVU's offense finished game two of the day with six hits and they left six runners on base. Lipscomb totaled six hits and also left six runners on base.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
