Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
West Virginia
Pitching Propels Herd to 3-2 Win Over WVU
4/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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CHARLESTON -- Amongst one of its biggest crowds of the season, Marshall baseball (16-27) sought sweet revenge against in-state rivals West Virginia Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park, defeating the Mountaineers 3-2.
A three-run second inning got the Herd on the board and gave them a lead they never relinquished. Led by a solid pitching performance from senior Josh King (Troup, Ga.) and scoreless relief outings from junior Caleb Ross (Barboursville, W.Va.) and senior Kolin Stanley (Beloit, Ohio), Marshall was able to split the series with WVU after dropping a contest last Tuesday by the same score.
King collected six punchouts in 5 and 2/3 innings, scattering four hits and freshman Chad Roberts (Wilmington, Ohio), led the Herd offense, going 2-for-3.
In the bottom of the second, with two outs, senior Sergio Leon (Miami) worked an aggressive game on the base path, stealing his ninth base of the season to get into scoring position. He moved up on a single from freshman Tyler Ratliff (Alexandria, Va.), and came home on a single through the right side from sophomore Matt Reed (Purcellville, Va.).
With two on and two outs, junior Robert Fajardo (Miami) entered the batter's box. Quickly falling behind the count 0-2, he then sent a ball to center field to bring home Ratliff and give the Herd a 2-0 lead. A mountaineer miscue allowed both Reed and Fajardo to move up 90 feet to continue to apply pressure.
A wild pitch gave Reed the opportunity to plate a third run, which would ultimately prove to be the winning run after WVU countered with two runs in sixth.
A first-pitch leadoff homer got the Mountaineers on the board, and a walk and single allowed WVU to get a second run across.
Ross threw a perfect outing, using just 11 pitches to retire five batters, and Stanley followed up, allowing a hit and fanning two but also facing just five batters after the Herd defense turned its second double play of the game. Â He earned his first save of the season.
The Herd is now 3-3 against WVU in the last three years, and undefeated when playing them at Power Park.
Marshall will next travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face conference foe Southern Miss beginning Friday, May 1.
WAGGONER'S WORDS
Link to Coach Waggoner's post-game interview with media
Josh King, Sr., Starting Pitcher
"Getting a win against the in-state rival is always huge. Everybody played great tonight and made big plays when it was needed. That made it easy for me to go out there and pound the strike zone, knowing I had those guys behind me. It was a great win all the way around."
Kolin Stanley, Sr., Relief Pitcher
"I was just glad I was able to come into a situation that allowed me to help the team get a win. It's always nice picking up a win during the week, and this one was especially nice being against another in-state school. A win like this helps keep our team morale up as we go into conference weekend, looking to stay hot and playing like we thought we could at the beginning of the year."
Sergio Leon, Sr., Shortstop
"Overall, it was a great team win. Defense was in position to make plays, and pitching handled it on their end. Offensively, we jumped on them early, which was good, because it's hard to stay up as a team when you put up runs in the early innings. The tone is now set for the week, and now we're ready for the weekend."
