Facing elimination at the Big 12 tournament, West Virginia took control early and took down No. 3 seed Texas Tech 12-4 on Friday night in Oklahoma City.
Leadoff man Braden Zarbnisky went 3-for-5 while scoring four runs and Darius Hill drove in three RBIs for the No. 7-seeded Mountaineers (29-26), who collected 15 hits to extend their season. Next comes Saturday’s semifinals at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, in which West Virginia must defeat TCU twice to stay alive.
“The offense is cooking pretty good right now,” Mountaineers coach Randy Mazey said. “That’s a top-10 team we just beat pretty handily.”
Seven WVU runs were unearned thanks to five errors by the Red Raiders (39-17), who leave OKC in the running to host an NCAA regional.
“I hate that we’re going home,” said Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock. “West Virginia earned the right to win today. They outpitched us, outplayed us, played better defense than us.”
West Virginia snapped a 1-1 tie by scoring four times in the third. Brandon White and Darius Hill collected RBI hits and Tyler Doanes took a full-count fastball into right-center for a two-run single.
A three-run fourth-inning outburst featured an unusual catalyst — Zarbnisky whiffing on what should have been the third out yet reaching base on a passed ball by Texas Tech catcher Braxton Fulford. Two walks, two errors and RBI singles by Hill and Marques Inman quickly escalated to give West Virginia an 8-1 cushion.
B.J. Myers started for the fourth time in eight days and allowed three runs on three hits over four-plus innings, becoming West Virginia’s all-time leader with 305 1/3 innings pitched. But Sam Kessler (4-0) was awarded the victory after 2 1/3 scoreless innings of middle relief.
“We’ve had baseball at West Virginia for, I don’t know, 130 years now and to get a career record says something great about B.J.,” Mazey said. “Hopefully it’s not his last outing.”
Texas Tech starter Davis Martin (6-5) — after beating the Mountaineers with six innings of one-run, nine-strikeout pitching on March 29 — failed to survive the fourth this time. The right-hander was charged with eight runs (four earned) on eight hits.
“He’s a great pitcher and he was getting frustrated I think because of the way he was giving up those runs because of errors and balls that weren’t stung,” Mazey said.
Inman doubled home Zarbnisky in the ninth, providing more breathing room for Zach Reid, who fanned four batters over the game’s final two innings.
The Mountaineers meet sixth-seeded TCU at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday with an if-necessary game on tap for later that night.
No. 4 seed Oklahoma meets fifth-seeded Baylor in the other semifinal.