MORGANTOWN – Eight strong innings from freshman lefty Harrison Musgrave and hits from each of the nine starters powered the West Virginia University baseball team to a 9-3 victory over USF in BIG EAST action on Saturday evening in Tampa, Fla.
The win also broke a seven-game losing streak to the Bulls.
“Our guys really came to play and it was a total team effort,” coach Greg Van Zant said. “USF has a tremendous team and we came out and scored early. They’re a tremendous team and this was a tremendous win.”
Musgrave (2-1) allowed three earned runs on 12 hits in eight innings pitched. Musgrave also walked four, while striking out three and forcing 11 men left on base by USF. Junior Josh McCauley pitched the ninth inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.
“It was a great start by Harrison, especially as a freshman in his first BIG EAST start, on the road and in front of a big crowd in a brand new beautiful stadium,” Van Zant said. “Harrison went out, competed, and he did a great job, I’m really proud of him. McCauley did a great job facing four hitters in the ninth and throwing strikes.”
Sophomore Brady Wilson, senior Justin McDavid and redshirt freshman T.J. Kuban paced the WVU offense with two hits apiece. Wilson had two RBIs, with McDavid recording two runs scored. Redshirt senior Grant Buckner and redshirt junior Dan DiBartolomeo also each had two RBIs.
In his first appearance in left field this season, Kuban prevented a USF opening run when the Bulls had two men on in the bottom of the second, Luis Llerena singled to left field and Kuban threw out Jimmy Falla, who was trying to score from second for the third out.
“T.J. Kuban is an exceptional young man to start and it has taken him awhile to get his swing back, but he’s getting back into form and has worked really hard and he has a lot of hitting ability,” Van Zant said. “We just want to try to get his bat in the lineup and I watched him in left before the game and he looked awfully comfortable.”
The West Virginia offense got underway in the top of third with sophomore Matt Malloy singling to right field, followed by a walk to redshirt senior Mark Dvoroznak to put men on first and second. Wilson and McDavid hit back-to-back singles with Wilson’s driving home Malloy, while Dvoroznak was thrown out at home on McDavid’s hit. The Mountaineers loaded the bases, but were unable to get a hit and took a 1-0 win.
After redshirt senior Jeremy Gum was hit by a pitch to begin the top of the fourth, freshman Ryan McBroom put down a successful sacrifice bunt, advancing Gum to second. Kuban followed with a double that scored Gum, while a Dvoroznak single to left center drove in Kuban. Wilson then drove in the third run of the inning with a single to center to drive in Dvoroznak.
West Virginia extended the lead to 6-1 in the top of fifth with a DiBartolomeo single to center scoring McDavid and a Gum double to left field, plating DiBartolomeo.
Three insurance runs were added in the top of the eighth after DiBartolomeo reached on an error that scored Wilson. Buckner followed with a double down the left field line, scoring McDavid and DiBartolomeo.
West Virginia (15-10, 1-1 BIG EAST) finished with nine runs on 12 hits with no errors, while USF (10-13, 1-1 BIG EAST) finished with three runs on 13 hits with two errors.
USF was led by Falla and Jonathan Koscso, who each finished with three hits. USF starter Matt Reed took the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings.
The two squads will return to action tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the series finale.
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