Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s offense got rolling early and never really let up as the Mountaineers defeated Maryland 10-3 on Tuesday afternoon at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
Ten different WVU players recorded a hit in the game, led by Paul Schoenfeld, who finished with three hits and two RBIs.
The Mountaineers struck first in the opening inning when Schoenfeld singled to center field, bringing home Matt Ineich from second while Gavin Kelly moved to third. Kelly later scored on Matthew Graveline’s groundout to short, giving WVU an early 2-0 cushion.
The Mountaineers added more in the second inning as Tyrus Hall lined a single to left-center, scoring Armani Guzman from second. Later in the frame, Schoenfeld ripped a triple to deep center, plating Kelly, and Graveline followed with a single up the middle to score Schoenfeld and extend the lead to 6-0.
WVU kept the pressure on in the third. Kelly delivered a two-run single to center field, driving in Brock Wills and Sean Smith to continue the offensive surge.
In the fourth inning, Wills singled to center to score Brodie Kresser, and Guzman added another RBI single to shallow center, bringing Wills home as the Mountaineers continued to pile on runs and build a 10-0 lead through four innings.
WVU starter David Hagen worked a scoreless first inning before leaving in the second with an apparent oblique injury. Carson Estridge came on in relief and settled things down, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and a walk.
The Mountaineer bullpen continued to keep Maryland quiet through the middle innings. Ian Korn retired all six batters he faced across two perfect frames, while Mac Stiffler struck out three of the five batters he recorded. Bryant Yoak also got the only batter he faced to end an inning and keep the Terps off the board.
Maryland (10-6) finally broke through in the ninth when Franklin Pichardo hit a solo home run to spoil the shutout. The Terrapins added two more runs later in the inning before WVU recorded the final out.
With the win, the Mountaineers improve to 11-3 on the season and will open Big 12 play this weekend with a three-game series at Baylor.
Photo Credit: WVU Atletics
