6:00: Morning News

Mountaineers edge UT-Arlington to clinch winning road trip

West Virginia third baseman Justin Fox throws toward first during the Mountaineers’ 6-4 win at UT-Arlington on Wednesday.

 

ARLINGTON, Texas – Kyle Davis went 3-for-4, Justin Fox added two hits and Brad Johnson drove in two runs as West Virginia completed its Texas road swing with a 6-4 victory over UT-Arlington on Wednesday.

The Mountaineers (12-10) won their third straight to finish the five-game trip with a winning record, though the ninth inning turned dicey. Blake Smith loaded the bases with two outs before inducing a pop fly foul out to pick up his first career save.

The Mavericks (12-11) stranded 11 runners.

Johnson’s sacrifice fly put WVU ahead in the first, and the a UT-Arlington error factored into two more runs in the second.

West Virginia used small ball to make it 4-0 in the fourth inning, with Shaun Wood’s second sacrifice bunt of the game scoring Davis on a suicide squeeze.

After UT-Arlington scored in the fifth, WVU made it 5-1 in the sixth when Davis singled and scored on Ray Guerrini’s double.

Jackson Cramer drew a two-out walk in the seventh, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and scored on Johnson’s single.

“You never know when you get into the middle of a game like that, how many extra runs you’re going to need,” West Virginia coach Randy Mazey said. “That sixth one became really important because a two-run lead is way better than a one-run lead when they loaded the bases in the ninth.”

Freshman right-hander Shane Ennis took the no-decision by throwing three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and four walks.

The victory went to BJ Myers (2-1), despite allowing three runs over three innings of middle relief.

Ross Vance, roughed up in Saturday’s loss at Baylor, worked a scoreless seventh in relief.

West Virginia returns to action with a weekend series against Charleston Southern at Consol Energy Park in Washington, Pa.







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