West Virginia put their 14-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday night as they faced regional rival Penn State.
For the second straight midweek game, the Mountaineers struggled on offense, but this time they were unable to prevail, as they fell 3-2 to Penn State from Medlar Field in University Park, Pa.
The Mountaineers would get baserunners throughout the night, but were unable to cash in. In the first, Skylar King was caught stealing to get caught on the bases. In the second, it was a two-out walk which was quickly erased, and then in the third, it was a double from King, but WVU couldn’t cash it in and score King.
Penn State would get on the board in the first, as Jack Porter homered off WVU starting pitcher Ben Hudson. Hudson would get pulled in the third, as there were runners on the corners, but Tyler Hutson put out that fire, keeping the score at 1-0.
Jace Rinehart would reach on an error in the fourth, before Sam White struck out and Chase Swain grounded out to end the inning. WVU threatened in a major way in the fifth, as Brodie Kresser singled and Spencer Barnett doubled, setting up runners on second and third with one out. That’s where they would end the inning, though, as King and Logan Sauve both could not get them across to score.
The Nittany Lions made the Mountaineers pay in the bottom of the inning as an error, single, single, plated two more runs for Penn State as they took a 3-0 lead.
The Mountaineers were able to get on the scoreboard in the seventh inning, as Kresser walked before Barnett blasted his fourth home run of the season, a two-run homer to get the game within one run, as PSU’s lead was cut to 3-2.
Aside from Hudson and Hutson, the rest of the Mountaineer bullpen was solid in relief on Tuesday. Chase Meyer and Mac Stiffler kept the game close before Carson Estridge came into the game in the eighth.
He walked the first batter he faced, but would get out of the inning with no damage done.
In the ninth, the Mountaineers got a runner to second with one out, but the game ended as they couldn't get Armani Guzman home.
On the night, WVU stranded eight runners on base as they lost for the first time since March 27th.
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