For the second year in a row, West Virginia's season ended in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. The biggest difference maker for the Mountaineers this weekend was their pitching staff, as self-inflicted wounds cost them against LSU.
Facing No. 6 LSU in a Super Regional was a tall task, but it became an even taller task as the Mountaineers struggled on the mound.
Griffin Kirn and Jack Kartsonas, WVU's two starters, pitched a combined six innings, allowing seven hits and 10 earned runs, walking five, and hitting three batters as well.
The biggest issue on the mound for West Virginia was their lack of consistency in throwing strikes, while those mistakes compounded into longer innings and more opportunities for an already talented LSU offense.
In game one on Saturday, LSU scored seven runs in the fifth and six runs in the sixth. In the fifth, four batters in the inning reached on a walk or a hit-by-pitch. In the sixth, it was another three walks and another hit batter for the Mountaineers as the Tigers took full advantage.
On Sunday night, it was a similar story for West Virginia.
Kartsonas allowed five runs in the second inning, as he walked the bases loaded with two outs, before the middle of LSU's order popped him for a double and two singles, scoring five runs in the frame.
In the seventh inning, LSU scored six runs, and the inning started with an error, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases. Then, it was a single, and two more errors, including the second one being a low throw with two outs, to extend the inning.
LSU capitalized as the next two batters hit a double and then a home run, blowing the game open and erasing any chance West Virginia had at coming back.
On the weekend, WVU's staff walked 17 total batters, hit eight batters, while they gave up 18 hits, and 28 runs. On the opposite side, LSU walked eight batters, and while they gave up 17 hits, the lack of free passes compared to WVU, kept the Mountaineers from doing more damage.
Overall, against a team as good as LSU, a pitching staff is going to have to make them earn every run they get in the game. West Virginia failed to do so, as free passes and losing hitters when ahead in the count came back to hurt the Mountaineers on both Saturday and Sunday.
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