TOWSON, Md. - Freshman lefthander Michael Twigg and junior righthander Jonathan Hash combined to limit the Tigers (17-35) to four runs on 12 hits as West Virginia University (25-27) won for the eighth time in its last nine games, an 8-4 non-conference victory at damp and chilly John B. Schuerholz Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Both Mountaineer pitchers did an exceptional job pitching out of trouble as the Tigers stranded 11 base runners and left the bases loaded twice. While scattering 12 hits, the two WVU pitchers also overcame five walks.
Twigg, who upped his record to 3-0 on the season, pitched the first six innings. He allowed three runs on nine hits while walking four and striking out five. Hash earned his second save of the season by holding the Tigers to one run on three hits over the final three innings.
With the win, the Mountaineers earned a split of their two-game season series. Towson posted a 10-4 win over West Virginia in Morgantown last month.
Both teams threatened to score in the first inning. With two outs in the top of the first, junior third baseman Grant Buckner drew a walk. When junior first baseman Justin McDavid singled and junior designated hitter Jeremy Gum walked, the Mountaineers had the bases loaded.
However, junior righthander Charlie Cononie pitched out of the jam by striking out freshman leftfielder Chris Rasky.
In the bottom of the first, junior shortstop Nick Natoli singled with one out for the Tigers' first base hit of the game. After he moved to second base on a balk by Twigg, he was stranded when senior rightfielder Kevin Collins popped up to left and junior second baseman Chris Wychock struck out.
Cononie pitched himself into an immediate jam in the second inning when his first two pitches of the inning resulted in hit batters. After hitting junior catcher Kevin Griffin with his first pitch of the frame, junior centerfielder Mark Dvoroznak also reached base when he was hit by the second pitch. Freshman second baseman Brady Wilson struck out while trying to bunt the runners over before a single to left by junior shortstop Jedd Gyorko loaded the bases.
Junior rightfielder Dom Hayes gave West Virginia a 2-0 lead when he doubled off the top of the left centerfield fence. He missed hitting a grand slam homer by inches. Cononie came back to strike out Buckner for the second out of the inning but a walk to McDavid loaded the bases. Cononie finally escaped the jam when he struck out Gum as WVU left the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning.
In the bottom of the second, the Tigers loaded the bases with two outs. After walks to freshman leftfielder Kurt Wertz and junior first baseman Eric Weller, freshman catcher Sean Adkins reached base on an infield single as Gyorko's diving stop saved a run. But, the Tigers couldn't take advantage of their opportunity as sophomore centerfielder Ben Winter popped up on a 3-2 pitch.
The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the third inning and threatened to take a lead. Natoli started the rally with a leadoff double off the leftfield fence. With one out, Natoli scored the Tigers' first run of the game when Wychock delivered an RBI single to left. After junior designated hitter Steve Rice drew a walk, Twigg struck out junior third baseman Austin Harclerode. However, Wertz lined a double off the leftfield fence, driving home Wychock with the tying run as Rice advanced to third base. A walk to Weller loaded the bases. But, Twigg struck out Adkins to end the threat as the Tigers left the bases loaded for the second inning in a row.
The game didn't remain tied at 2-2 for very long. On the second pitch of the fourth inning, Gyorko launched a long home run over the centerfield fence. It was his 17th homer of the season, a mark that ties him for fourth place in the BIG EAST Conference.
Trailing by 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Tigers tied the game when Rice led off the frame with his sixth homer of the season, a line drive over the left field fence. The Tigers tried to take a lead when Wertz singled with one out and went to second base on a wild pitch. But, Twigg retired the next two hitters to preserve the 3-3 tie.
In the top of the sixth, the Mountaineers rallied for three runs to take a 6-3 lead against sophomore righthander Tyler Austin. Wilson opened the inning with his first hit, a single to leftfield. After falling behind in the count by two strikes, Gyorko drew a walk. A sacrifice bunt by Hayes moved both runners into scoring position. Wilson scored to give the Mountaineers a 4-3 lead when Buckner grounded out to shortstop as Gyorko remained at second base.
With two outs, McDavid unloaded an opposite field home run over the left centerfield fence, a two-run shot that gave WVU a 6-3 advantage. It was his fourth homer of the season.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Tigers missed out on a great opportunity to cut into the Mountaineers' lead. Winter led off the inning with a triple to rightfield. However, Twigg retired the next three hitters on popups and Winter was stranded at third base.
The Tigers cut their deficit to 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning against Hash. With two outs, Winter doubled to left centerfield. When freshman second baseman Mike Schmidt singled to left, Winter scored the Tigers' fourth run of the game. However, Hash ended the threat by striking out Collins.
In the ninth inning, the Mountaineers added a pair of unearned runs to extend their lead to 8-4. McDavid led off the inning by reaching base on an error by Weller, the Tigers' first baseman. With one out, Rasky doubled to right centerfield. Griffin drove home McDavid when he hit a sacrifice fly to right. Dvoroznak added an insurance run when he lined an RBI single to right. After an infield single by Wilson, junior righthander Drew Permison retired Gyorko on a fly ball to centerfield, ending the rally.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Hash walked Wychock to start the inning. However, Rice was retired on a pop up before Harclerode grounded into a game-ending double play.
West Virginia was led by Gyorko, McDavid and Wilson, who had two hits each. Gyorko went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one run batted in. McDavid was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI's. Wilson had two singles and scored a run.
The Tigers, who out hit West Virginia by a 12-10 margin, were led by Winter, Natoli and Wertz. Winter had two extra base hits, a triple and a double. He scored one run. Wertz went two-for-three and drove in a run. Natoli was two-for-three before leaving the game in the sixth inning so he could take a final exam in one of his classes.
The Tigers, who used five pitchers in the game, combined to strike out 12 batters. Cononie pitched the first two innings. He allowed two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. However, he walked three batters and hit two others. Austin, who suffered his fifth loss of the season, pitched four innings. Austin gave up four runs on three hits, including a pair of home runs. He also walked three batters and had six strikeouts.
Freshman righthander Michael Trionfo pitched a scoreless seventh inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout. Sophomore righthander Sean Bertrand threw a perfect eighth inning, retiring all three hitters he faced. Permison allowed two unearned runs in the ninth inning as he gave up three hits.
The Tigers close out their season this weekend when they host George Mason University in a three-game series at Schuerholz Park.
