LUBBOCK, Texas — Darius Hill’s sixth-inning single scored the game’s only run, and three West Virginia pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout during a 1-0 upset of No. 7 Texas Tech on Thursday night.
The Mountaineers (10-12, 1-3) entered with the Big 12’s worst ERA yet throttled the league’s top-scoring lineup behind Isaiah Kearns, Jackson Wolf and Shane Ennis.
“We hadn’t been pitching great, and they’re leading the league in hitting by a long way, so the matchup wasn’t all that great,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “Our guys just went out there and threw enough strikes, kept them off balance and threw up a zero at a time when we really needed it.”
The Red Raiders (21-6, 1-3), who were averaging 8.6 runs per game, had been 14-0 at home this season.
“Guys were a little over-aggressive, but more than anything, you give West Virginia credit for making pitches,” said Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock.
After Kearns threw 55 pitches, Wolf (1-0) came on in fourth with two men aboard and shut down that rally. The lanky lefthander, making his sixth appearance, delivered four innings of two-hit relief, walking two and fanning three and reducing his opponents’ batting average to .125.
Ennis picked up his first career save, pitching around a jam in the eighth after surrendering Gabe Holt’s leadoff double.
A sac bunt moved Holt to third base with one out for Josh Jung — hitting .398 and ranking fifth nationally with 34 RBIs. Jung hit a 1-2 pitch at second baseman Kyle Gray, who go the out at first as Holt held.
“The ball was hit semi-hard and they were playing in,” Tadlock said. “Honestly, at the time the ball was hit, I was glad (Holt) didn’t go, because based on where he was standing he was going to be out. He probably needed to cheat it a little more.”
Michael Davis followed with a ground-out to end the threat.
West Virginia made due with only three hits, two of them back-to-back in the sixth on a leadoff double Ivan Gonzales and the go-ahead single by Hill.
“Two veterans in a 0-0 game on the road stepped up,” Mazey said.
That ultimately cost Red Raiders starter Davis Martin (4-2), who struck out nine over six innings.
“I felt like I executed well, but it counts as a loss all the same,” said Martin, who benefited from Texas Tech scoring 22 runs in his previous start against Northeastern. “It’s a team thing. Don’t point fingers. You can’t blame the hitters for not scoring runs because one day they’re going to score 10 runs.”
The three-game series continues Friday night and Saturday.