6 straight losses: Sliding Mountaineers battered by Virginia Tech, 13-3

Virginia Tech center fielder Saige Jenco had a career-high six RBIs—more runs than West Virginia has scored in a game since April 18—as the streaking Hokies rolled to a 13-3 nonconference baseball win Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va.

West Virginia (24-23), which has dropped six straight and 11 of its last 14, played without coach Randy Mazey, who’s serving a two-game suspension for “prolonged lingering” after being ejected in Sunday’s loss to TCU.

Assistant Derek Matlock served as acting head coach in Mazey’s absence.

Joe Freiday, Jr., enjoyed a career-best three-hit game with a pair of doubles and scored four runs for the Hokies (24-22), winners of seven consecutive games.

Jenco’s three-run triple broke a 1-1 tie in the second inning

Virginia Tech received seven solid innings from Jon Woodcock (3-2), who allowed one earned run on seven hits.

West Virginia starter Jeff Hardy (2-1) was touched up for four runs, three earned, in two innings before the Hokies battered reliever Shane Ennis for six runs in 2 1/3 innings. Included in the onslaught was Erik Payne’s two-run third-inning homer, his seventh of the season.

Tucker Cascaden went 3-for-4 in a spot start at second base and Caleb Potter hit his fourth homer for the Mountaineers, who have tumbled out of range for an at-large NCAA regional bid. Their only hope is to win enough games over the final two Big 12 series—beginning Friday at Oklahoma State—to escape last place in the standings and win the conference tournament in Tulsa.