West Virginia’s baseball team battled back but lost to Kentucky 11-9. The match took place at Kendrick Family Ballpark. The loss puts Kentucky within one victory of winning the Morgantown Regional.
Mountaineers coach Steve Sabins acknowledged the team’s resilience. He also noted the team’s mistakes. Sabins said the team showed grit, but the game was sloppy.
Yehl Exits Early With Injury
Maxx Yehl, the Mountaineer ace, left the game in the first inning. He recorded two outs across 36 pitches. Sabins confirmed Yehl left with an injury and had no further update.
Sabins stated they did not know what the injury was. He also stated that he hadn’t spoken to the trainer.
Wildcats Capitalise on Errors
The Mountaineers went down in order against Kentucky starting pitcher Nate Harris to start the contest. Kentucky then worked to touch up Yehl in their first at bat, with Jayce Tharnish working a walk. Tyler Bell then reached on a Brodie Kresser error, and Ethan Hindle drove in two with a single.
Braxton VanCleave followed with a two-run home run. After Yehl hit Carson Hansen with a pitch, his outing was over. Wildcats’ coach Nick Mingione stated that sometimes to get an ace, you have to get him in the first.
West Virginia’s Sean Smith got to third base with one out in the second, but the Mountaineers didn’t score. Kentucky’s deficit grew to six runs in the bottom of that inning, including a run-scoring double from Luke Lawrence and Hindle’s fielder’s choice.
Mountaineers’ Momentum
WVU gained momentum in the third when Gavin Kelly belted a two-run home run to left. A two-out rally in the fourth helped the Mountaineers draw closer, starting with a Ben Lumsden single. Tyrus Hall split the gap in right-center with a run-scoring double to make it 6-3.
After Hall advanced to third on a wild pitch, he scored the Mountaineers’ fourth run via a balk. Harris was lifted for Ryan Mullan during the inning, but he walked and hit the only two batters he faced. Jack Sams relieved Mullan and walked Sean Smith to force in a run. He then induced an inning-ending fly ball to shallow left on a 2-0 offering to Matthew Graveline, enabling Kentucky to preserve a one-run lead.
- Kentucky defeated West Virginia 11-9.
- Maxx Yehl exited the game early due to injury.
- Gavin Kelly hit a two-run home run for West Virginia.
Sabins stated that he couldn’t be more impressed with the grit the team showed.