West Virginia baseball blanks Herd 15-0
West Virginia easily took care of in-state opponent Marshall 15-0 inside Kendrick Family Ballpark Wednesday afternoon.
It makes the second victory over the Thundering Herd this season after previously knocking them off 11-2 in Charleston eight days earlier.
The Mountaineers scored five runs in the first inning, six runs in the third and then three more runs in the fifth to take complete control of the game. West Virginia finished with five home runs, eight extra base hits and was 5-6 with runners in scoring position.
Right hander Gavin Van Kempen got the start for the Mountaineers and pitched three scoreless innings with four strikeouts but allowed four hits and a walk across 61 pitches. The five relievers then came on to spin six innings of shutout ball with just two hits and one walk allowed. Combined the six pitchers struck out 13.
Second baseman Reed Chumley finished 3-4 with a pair of home runs, 3 RBIs, 3 runs and a walk, while first baseman Kyle West was 2-4 with a homerun, 2 runs and 5 RBIs and Sam White was 2-2 with a homerun, 2 RBIs, 2 runs and a walk.
Van Kempen got into a jam in the first inning but was able to navigate it without permitting a run despite allowing a walk and a single.
The Mountaineers then plated five in the first inning beginning with a Grant Hussey double down the right field line and then a three run homer by Kyle West on the next pitch. The scoring in the inning was capped off by another home run by Reed Chumley.
After leaving two more on base in the second, Van Kempen would keep the Herd off the scoreboard and then the Mountaineers would go down without any runs in the bottom half of the inning to keep the lead 5-0.
Van Kempen would make it out of the third unscathed on the scoreboard after stranding a pair of singles but that would end his day.
Chumley would tack on another run for West Virginia in the bottom half with a double off the left center wall and then would come around to score on an throwing error. A two-run home run by Aaron Jamison would follow and then another two-run shot by Skylar White made the score 11-0.
Right hander Carson Estridge would take over in the top of the fourth and kept the Herd off the scoreboard. Chumley would hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the fourth to left field to gives West Virginia a 12-0 edge.
It was three up, three down yet again for Estridge in the fifth and West Virginia would again tack on another run on a Spencer Barnett two-out single. And from there, the Mountaineers would add two more on a single by West to make it 15-0.
Right hander Hayden Cooper took the ball in the sixth for the Mountaineers and kept Marshall off the scoreboard after allowing just a hit. In the bottom half, West Virginia was retired in order for the first time in the game.
Randy Mazey then called on left hander Joseph Fredericks for the seventh who continued the shut out with a three up, three down inning and the same can be said for the bottom half with the score remaining at 15-0 through seven.
Chase Meyer, a right hander, was called upon to pitch the eighth for West Virginia and recorded all three outs by strikeout to keep Marshall scoreless.
And after a three up, three down bottom of the eighth, left hander Maxx Yehl was called upon to pitch the ninth for West Virginia and he closed things out for the combined shutout and the victory.
The Mountaineers pushed their record to 12-9 overall and will next head to Big 12 leading Oklahoma for a three-game series beginning Friday.
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