April 17, 2003

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia used hitting, then pitching to sweep a BIG EAST Conference double-header from Virginia Tech at WVU's Hawley Field on Thursday. The Mountaineers scored seven runs in the first inning on the way to a 15-5 victory in the seven-inning first game, then got a complete-game pitching performance from Zac Cline to take the nine-inning second game by a score of 3-1.

Tech (24-11; 8-4) had allowed a combined total of just eight runs in the first inning for the entire season before yielding seven to WVU in the opening game. The Mountaineers (24-11; 8-2) sent 12 men to the plate against Tech starting pitcher Josh Biber, collecting eight hits, including a two-run single by left fielder Jake Serfass and a three-run homer by designated hitter Stan Posluszny.

Despite the Mountaineers' fast start, Tech stayed in the game thanks to the relief work of freshman pitcher Scott Stoehr (Timberville, Va.). Stoehr, who entered the game with two outs in the first inning, pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings before leaving with one out and one man on in the sixth inning and Tech trailing by just two runs at 7-5

The remainder of the sixth inning turned out to be a nightmare for the Hokies. When it was over, Tech had committed three errors and WVU had collected five hits and eight runs. West Virginia center fielder Jarod Rine capped the big inning with a three-run homer that sealed the Hokies' worst loss of the season. It marked the first time all season (33 games) that Tech had allowed more than seven runs in a game.

Tech scored its runs in the second and fourth innings. A run-scoring single by left fielder Sheldon Adams (Big Stone Gap, Va.) and a sacrifice fly by right fielder Matt Kalish (Miami, Fla.) produced two runs for the Hokies in the second inning. A wild pitch by WVU pitcher Shawn Miller and a two-run single by Tech senior second baseman Marc Tugwell (Springfield, Va.) accounted for three more runs in the fourth.

Miller (4-0) went the distance in earning a win in the opening game. Biber (5-2) took the loss for the Hokies.

Cline also turned in a complete game for West Virginia, giving up just five hits and a first-inning run in the nightcap. After picking off a Tech runner to end the first inning, Cline retired 17 straight batters before giving up a single to Hokie shortstop Spencer Harris (Louisa, Ky.) in the seventh inning. The left-hander struck out four and did not walk a batter in winning his sixth game against three losses.

After center fielder Brad Bauder's single gave Tech a 1-0 lead in the first inning, freshman pitcher Andrew Wells (Alexandria, Va.) held the Mountaineers scoreless until the sixth inning when an error and a two-out double by Serfass tied the game. WVU took the lead when Rine led off the seventh with a solo home run to right field and added an insurance run on another two-out double by Serfass in the eighth. The loss evened Wells' record at 3-3.

Tech now moves to Connecticut for a conference double-header with UConn on Saturday.