BUIES CREEK, N.C. (March 19, 2022) – The West Virginia University baseball team used strong pitching, good defense and opportunistic hitting to earn a 6-3 win over Campbell on Saturday afternoon at Jim Perry Stadium.
The Mountaineers recorded just four hits in the win but were able to score two runs in the first, one in the second, two in the sixth and one in the seventh. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton earned the win, bumping his record to 3-1 on the year, while Cade Kuehler took the loss for the Camels.
The win snapped a two-game losing skid and marked the club’s 10th triumph of the year.
“This is why Ben pitches on Saturdays – he can give the bullpen a day off in the middle of a series,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said of Hampton. “We played tremendous defense behind him; that saved the game a couple times. So, when you pitch and play defense, you don’t need a ton of hits to win.”
For the second straight day, the Mountaineers (10-7) grabbed a lead in the first inning. WVU opened the scoring on an RBI double off the bat of sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook, before sophomore outfielder Braden Barry hit a two-out, RBI single to double the lead.
In the second, West Virginia added to its advantage with redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker’s solo home run, his first of the year, to make it 3-0.
From there, Hampton got his outing off to a good start, firing four scoreless innings. In the fifth, though, Campbell (8-10) hit a solo home run to cut WVU’s lead to two.
But the Mountaineers grabbed a pair of runs in the top of the sixth when two runs scored on a squeeze bunt. Freshman infielder Alex Khan laid the bunt down, scoring junior outfielder/left-handed pitcher Kevin Dowdell from third and freshman outfielder Tyler Cox from second.
WVU tacked on one more in the seventh on senior outfielder Austin Davis’ sacrifice fly, which made it 6-2.
Hampton went on to log 7.1 innings of work, allowing just two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks on 116 pitches.
In need of a rally, the Camels scored one in the ninth but couldn’t draw any closer, setting up the rubber match on Sunday.
WVU used just two pitchers in the win, as fifth-year senior right-hander Chase Smith tossed the final 1.2 innings of the game. Additionally, the Mountaineers made a number of impactful plays in the field, including an inning-ending, diving catch by Cox to end a Campbell threat in the sixth.
Of note, West Virginia walked six times and stole six bases to aid in the scoring efforts.
Next up, the Mountaineers and Camels conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET.
The Mountaineers recorded just four hits in the win but were able to score two runs in the first, one in the second, two in the sixth and one in the seventh. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton earned the win, bumping his record to 3-1 on the year, while Cade Kuehler took the loss for the Camels.
The win snapped a two-game losing skid and marked the club’s 10th triumph of the year.
“This is why Ben pitches on Saturdays – he can give the bullpen a day off in the middle of a series,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said of Hampton. “We played tremendous defense behind him; that saved the game a couple times. So, when you pitch and play defense, you don’t need a ton of hits to win.”
For the second straight day, the Mountaineers (10-7) grabbed a lead in the first inning. WVU opened the scoring on an RBI double off the bat of sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook, before sophomore outfielder Braden Barry hit a two-out, RBI single to double the lead.
In the second, West Virginia added to its advantage with redshirt junior infielder Tevin Tucker’s solo home run, his first of the year, to make it 3-0.
From there, Hampton got his outing off to a good start, firing four scoreless innings. In the fifth, though, Campbell (8-10) hit a solo home run to cut WVU’s lead to two.
But the Mountaineers grabbed a pair of runs in the top of the sixth when two runs scored on a squeeze bunt. Freshman infielder Alex Khan laid the bunt down, scoring junior outfielder/left-handed pitcher Kevin Dowdell from third and freshman outfielder Tyler Cox from second.
WVU tacked on one more in the seventh on senior outfielder Austin Davis’ sacrifice fly, which made it 6-2.
Hampton went on to log 7.1 innings of work, allowing just two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks on 116 pitches.
In need of a rally, the Camels scored one in the ninth but couldn’t draw any closer, setting up the rubber match on Sunday.
WVU used just two pitchers in the win, as fifth-year senior right-hander Chase Smith tossed the final 1.2 innings of the game. Additionally, the Mountaineers made a number of impactful plays in the field, including an inning-ending, diving catch by Cox to end a Campbell threat in the sixth.
Of note, West Virginia walked six times and stole six bases to aid in the scoring efforts.
Next up, the Mountaineers and Camels conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET.