Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
West Virginia State
Baseball Swings Past West Virginia State, 6-4
3/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 18, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Junior third baseman Josh Valle blasted his first home run of the season and senior designated hitter Brandon Casamassima added his third long ball of the year to help pace Marshall to a 6-4 victory over West Virginia State in Wednesday afternoon's non-conference baseball game at George T. Smailes Field at The Kennedy.
With the win, Marshall improves to 8-9 overall heading into Conference USA play, while West Virginia State falls to 1-5 on the season.
Leading 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth, the Thundering Herd added an insurance run when Casamassima led off the frame with a walk. A passed ball and a wild pitch moved him to third with one out before Valle tapped an RBI groundout to first base allowing Casamassima to score the sixth run of the game.
From there, junior reliever Austin Coan entered in place of sophomore Arik Sikula to close out the game. Coan used a batter's interference call and dealt a pair of strikeouts to earn his second save of the season.
Sikula pitched 1.2 innings of relief, surrendering just one hit while striking out two batters en route to his second win of the season and a 2-0 record.
After three scoreless innings, Marshall broke the deadlock when sophomore shortstop Kenny Socorro drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on a single to right field by senior centerfielder Nate Lape, and then came full circle on an RBI groundout by sophomore first baseman Victor Gomez. The Herd earned two more free passes in the inning but could not plate another run.
In the bottom of the fifth, Valle took the first pitch of the stanza to deep right field and over the fence for his first home run of the year, giving Marshall a 2-0 edge. Freshman right fielder Eric Semeniuk added an infield single in the frame and moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by senior second baseman Adam Yeager, but was stranded there.
Marshall plated its third run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out bomb by Casamassima.
Herd starter Justin Moore pitched brilliantly over the first five innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three batters before being lifted in favor of senior southpaw Brian Mooney. Mooney allowed a pair of hits and a walk which loaded the bases but was able to get out of the jam by firing his second strikeout of the game, ending the threat and preserving the 3-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets put together a four-run seventh inning on the strength of three hits as well as an infield error which gave West Virginia State the momentary lead at 4-3.
Marshall responded with a two-run home half of the seventh which featured a one-out triple by sophomore pinch-hitter Ben Jurevicius, and a walk by Yeager giving the Herd runners on the corners. Socorro then singled in the runners, and raced to second on the throw in from right field. The Yellow Jackets avoided further damage in the inning but the Herd had regained the lead 5-4.
Lape finished with a pair of hits in the contest while Socorro and Valle added two RBIs each in the winning effort.
Marshall is back in action Friday, March 20 when it travels to Memphis for its C-USA opening series with the Tigers. Friday's first-pitch is scheduled for 7:30 ET, with Saturday and Sunday start times slated for 2:00 p.m.
