West Virginia’s baseball team showed exactly what trust and teamwork look like in a pressure-packed 9-6 win over Clemson on Saturday night.
For the second straight day, the Mountaineers came from behind late, this time scoring one run in the eighth and four in the ninth to upset No. 11 national seed Clemson and advance to the Clemson Regional Final.
A Win Built on Teamwork
“Special team win for the Mountaineers,” said WVU head coach Steve Sabins. “The last two days have been incredibly exciting. We had a walk-off win, and then this was about as tight as a road game gets against a regional host.”
WVU started strong with a 4-0 lead but found itself trailing 5-4 by the seventh inning. That’s when the team’s resilience took center stage. Armani Guzman hit a clutch two-out double in the eighth to tie the game, followed by another two-out double in the ninth from Sam White that gave West Virginia the lead.
“We had so many great individual performances,” Sabins added. “Everybody stayed connected and handed the ball to the next guy. People came up huge.”
White Sparks the Rally
Sam White’s ninth-inning double ignited a chain reaction. After his hit, three straight WVU batters singled, and two more runs were walked in with bases loaded. Suddenly, it was a 9-5 game heading into the bottom of the ninth.
“Just trying to keep it simple—see ball, hit ball,” White said. “That’s the moment you live for as a player.”
Meyer Steps Up, McDougal Closes
Chase Meyer entered in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and just one out. He calmly forced a double play to get out of the jam, then tossed a perfect eighth and two quick outs in the ninth.
But with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, Clemson’s Cam Cannarella kept their hopes alive. Meyer walked in a run and went 2-0 to the next batter, Jack Crighton, who represented the game-winning run.
That’s when Sabins made the call to the bullpen, bringing in Ben McDougal.
“It’s just a pitch, whether it’s the first or the last,” Meyer said. “But at the end, I tried to place it instead of just throwing like I had been.”
McDougal needed just four pitches to strike out Crighton and seal the victory, showing poise under pressure.
One Win Away from Super Regionals
With the win, West Virginia moves one step closer to the Super Regionals. They’ll play the winner of Sunday’s Kentucky vs. Clemson matchup in the Clemson Regional Final at 6:00 p.m.
“I think the great thing about this group is how much we trust each other,” Meyer said. “No matter the situation, we’re always playing for each other.”
