SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest in Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

Morgantown –It was the first time that West Virginia had hosted post-season baseball in 64 years and it certainly had the feel of a significant occasion in the stands.

The Mountaineers drew a Monongalia County Ballpark record crowd of 4,355 as fans poured into the stadium and created a lively atmosphere for the second game of the Morgantown Regional Friday night.

In that game, the hosting team outlasted No. 4 Fordham 6-2 even after falling behind early and temporarily halting the party that wanted to break out in the stands from the time the first pitch was delivered.

It was the third time this season that West Virginia had set a new attendance record bypassing previous marks against Pittsburgh and Texas Tech but something about this one just felt – and looked different.

“That’s a stadium just full of energy tonight, from the first pitch to the last,” coach Randy Mazey said. “When you have that much energy in the stadium, you’re exhausted when it’s over. I’m exhausted, and I can only imagine how these guys feel.”

Never was that more evident than in the third inning when the Mountaineers seize the momentum away for good. Trailing 1-0, center fielder Brandon White was able to draw a walk and the ball skipped away from Rams catcher Justin Bardwell allowing the tying run to score.

All the while chants of ‘Let’s Go Mountaineers,” could be heard echoing throughout the stadium as the typically reliable Fordham pitcher John Stankiewicz struggled with control. The sophomore surrendered five walks in that inning resulting in three runs for the Mountaineers. Up until that point, Stankiewicz had allowed only 15 walks on the entire season over 92 innings.

That half-inning would serve as the turning point of the game as the Mountaineers were able to chase the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year after only 2 and 2/3 innings and bring the ballpark alive.

“That’s as loud as I’ve ever heard this stadium. That’s not easy to pitch under the circumstances,” Mazey said. “We got a big walk there, and the crowd gets loud again when it goes 3-2 to Pudge (West Virginia senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez), and we got a big walk.”

But it didn’t look like a party atmosphere at first. Things started off rocky for the Mountaineers as they fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first after starter Nick Snyder allowed three hits and a walk. After that he was able to settle in surrendering only one more hit over the next four innings and striking out six before giving way to Kade Strowd to save the contest over the next four innings.

“After the third out, that’s when I look out to the crowd, and I see and I hear. It was awesome. The fans tonight were incredible. That was probably the loudest game I’ve ever played in, and I’m sure my teammates would agree,” Snyder said.

Morgantown was a baseball town, at least for one night in late May, as the city rallied around the Mountaineers with lines stretching back as fans waited to even get into the contest. A similar environment is likely expected tonight as West Virginia will look to clinch a spot in the regional final when the No. 1 seed will play No. 3 seed Duke who upended Texas A&M in the first game.

West Virginia will turn the ball over to Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and First-team All-American Alek Manoah who has compiled a 9-3 record over his 15 starts with a 1.85 ERA and 135 strike outs.

The Mountaineers ultimately get the credit for making the plays on the field but the baseball team understands that the crowd certainly played its part in making the first post-season game in over half a century a memorable one for the hosting club.

“I’ve been telling the fans all season just come and watch, come and help. I think they really helped us win that game. It’s not easy to throw a strike when there are 4,300 people yelling at you. Big asterisk to crowd tonight for helping us win that one,” Mazey said.

West Virginia will play Duke at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Enter the contest by clicking on the following link and choosing to subscribe to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=VideoGlide