WVU looking to avoid elimination against Texas A&M

Reviews and ejections were among some of the things that occurred over the course of the evening that kept the game from developing any sort of flow as Duke handed West Virginia a 4-0 loss at Monongalia County Ballpark.

“We couldn’t get our footing early on because it was so choppy,” West Virginia assistant coach Steve Sabins said. “It was an unusual game. I haven’t been part of a game like that before.”

Perhaps the game’s biggest turning point came during the third inning when the Blue Devils scored two runs to take their 4-0 lead. But the runs didn’t come without some controversy on the field.

With the bases loaded and two down during the bottom of the third, Erickson Nichols hit a grounder to West Virginia junior right-hander Alek Manoah, who then threw it to catcher Ivan Gonzalez at home plate for what was originally ruled the third out of the inning.

However, the play was reviewed and ultimately overturned leading to Duke taking a 3-0 lead and West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey getting tossed from the game after arguing the call.

Duke took advantage and added another run during the inning as West Virginia fans voiced their distaste of the calls from the stands--one fan was ejected.

Gonzalez believed that he did get the out at home plate during that third inning but also said that it didn’t single handedly cost the team the game.

The No. 15-seeded Mountaineers had chances to chip away at their deficit throughout the game and left six total runners on base during the loss.

“I definitely thought it was an out,” Gonzalez said. “I thought I had the ball, had possession and stepped on the plate. The call didn’t go our way, and you just have to keep moving forward. You can’t let one call determine the game for you.”

“You’re not going to go out there and be 100 percent every time you go out there. We’re human beings. But, it’s just like we said, after they score, we have to come back and punch back, you know? You’re going to get hit in the mouth, you just have to come back with another punch and keep coming. And, keep bringing the energy. Unfortunately, it just didn’t go our way today,” he later added.

Texas A&M up next for West Virginia

West Virginia’s season is now officially on the line with the loss to Duke.

The Mountaineers (38-21), the regional's No. 1 seed, will face a team the Blue Devils beat to open up the Morgantown Regional in No. 2-seeded Texas A&M.

Texas A&M (38-22-1) was the predicted by many to win this regional before the Aggies suffered an 8-5 loss to the Blue Devils on Friday, but the team rebounded with an 11-2 win over Fordham in an elimination game Saturday afternoon.

The Aggies are led by their depth and talent on the mound. Through two games, freshman lefty Chris Weber (2.95 ERA) and sophomore right-hander Christian Roa (3.22 ERA) haven’t pitched at all so far in this regional. The two have combined for 17 starts this season.

“We feel like we are back in a good place going into tomorrow; we are going to do whatever we have to do to win one game at a time; we aren’t going to hold anybody back to try to get to the next game,” Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said.

“It’s all hands on deck, but giving us those two guys the day off, and we haven’t used our closer yet, we have all the pieces in place on the mound to continue to try and advance.”

White puts toughness on display

A scary scene took place during the first inning when junior center fielder Brandon White crashed into the outfield wall while trying to catch a fly ball.

White was down on the ground for about 10 minutes and while it looked as if he was going to be carted off, he wound up staying in the game.

“Something told me in my head that I was good to go, so I got up and was ready,” White said.

White’s toughness was in some ways symbolic of the team’s season, according to senior outfielder Darius Hill, and the Mountaineers will need every bit of that toughness moving forward starting with Sunday’s elimination game against the Aggies.

“I could tell he was hurting as soon as he hit the wall,” Hill said. “As you saw, he stayed down for a couple of minutes, but I think he’s ready to go. That’s just the identity of our team, tough guys. He’ll be ready. We’ll all be ready for tomorrow.”

Bergert expected to make second career start

Freshman right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert is expected to make his second career start against the Aggies according to Sabins.

Bergert was used out of the bullpen all regular season until he was called on to start against Texas Tech during the Big 12 Tournament.

In that game, he pitched five scoreless innings and allowed just one hit as fellow freshman righty Zach Ottinger shutout the Red Raiders in the game’s final four innings to help the Mountaineers secure a spot in the Big 12 title game and regional host selection.

According to Sabins, aside from the two starters used so far in this regional, all of the team’s pitchers should be available against Texas A&M.

“He threw such a gem in Oklahoma City in the Big 12 Tournament,” Sabins said of Bergert. “I think everybody is available. The guys that are spent right now are the two guys that have started the games. Other than that, I think it’s all hands on deck. (You’re) just trying to do anything you can to win.”

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