West Virginia’s impressive 14-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday night, as they fell 3-2 to regional rival Penn State at Medlar Field in University Park, Pa.
The Mountaineers, who had been firing on all cylinders during their streak, struggled offensively once again in a midweek game, similar to their previous outing. Despite getting baserunners on multiple occasions, they failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Skylar King was caught stealing in the first inning, and in the second, a two-out walk was quickly erased. In the third, King doubled but was left stranded on base.
Penn State took the lead early, with Jack Porter hitting a home run off WVU’s starting pitcher, Ben Hudson, in the first inning. Hudson was pulled in the third after putting runners on the corners, but reliever Tyler Hutson got out of the jam, keeping the score at 1-0.
WVU’s offensive struggles continued. In the fourth, Jace Rinehart reached on an error, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the inning. The Mountaineers threatened in the fifth, as Brodie Kresser singled and Spencer Barnett doubled to set up runners on second and third with one out. However, King and Logan Sauve couldn’t bring them home, and the inning ended without a run.
In the bottom of the fifth, Penn State took advantage of a Mountaineer error, followed by a pair of singles, to score two more runs and extend their lead to 3-0.
WVU wasn’t ready to go down without a fight, though. In the seventh, Kresser walked, and Barnett followed with a two-run homer, his fourth of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
The Mountaineer bullpen, led by Hudson and Hutson, held the Nittany Lions in check throughout the game. Chase Meyer and Mac Stiffler kept the game close, and Carson Estridge came in during the eighth, walking the first batter but escaping without further damage.
In the ninth, WVU had a chance to tie the game when they got a runner to second with one out. However, they couldn’t bring Armani Guzman home, and the game ended with the Mountaineers unable to finish their rally.
Despite a strong performance from the bullpen, WVU stranded eight runners on base and was unable to push across the critical runs they needed. The loss marked their first defeat since March 27th, ending their impressive streak.
