The Mountaineer baseball team completed a three game Big East Conference sweep of Cincinnati Sunday winning 18-3, but that news was over shadowed by the performance of WVU designated hitter Vince Belnome.
Belnome enjoyed the greatest offensive day in the history of the WVU program. Belnome became the first WVU player ever to get six hits in a single game as he went 6-6. Belnome also tied the single game school record with nine runs batted in. Only twice previously had a WVU hitter driven in nine runs in a game and the last time that occured was 1947.
Belnome also earned his 200th career hit during the weekend and he Belnome had 10 RBI in the three games giving him 77 for the season. He is closing in on the single season record of 81 set by Mark Landers in 1994.
Other notable accomplishments this weekend:
—Senior outfielder Austin Markel also earned his 200th career hit over the weekend. Markel and Belnome are the 12th and 13th players in school history to reach that mark.
—Sophomore shortstop Jedd Gyorko doubled Sunday giving him 27 on the season. That ties the single season record set by Joe McNamee in 1998.
—-Sophomore third baseman Dan DiBartolomeo had a five hit game Sunday. Belnome and DiBartolomeo took over the conference lead in hitting this weekend as both are at .443.
—West Virginia had a season high 20 hits Sunday. The Mountaineers had 48 hits in the three games to raise their season average to .360. The school record for batting average was set in 1998 as the Mountaineers hit .358.
—One other quirky statistic to look out for Monday as WVU plays it’s final non-conference game of the season at home against Youngstown State; No Mountaineer team has had three active players with 200 or more career base hits. Senior outfielder Justin Parks has 199. WVU could have three players get to 200 in three consecutive games. Belnome reached the milestone in game two of Saturday’s double header vs. Cincinnati. Markel got number 200 Sunday. With a hit on Monday night, Parks could make it three players in three games.
—WVU will host Youngstown State Monday night starting at 7 p.m. at Hawley Field in the final home game of the season. You can hear live play-by-play of the game on WAJR-AM in Morgantown or at WAJR.com.