Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
West Virginia
@HerdBaseball Drops Midweek Game at WVU
4/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - A five-run eighth inning rally by the Marshall baseball team (21-17) came up short on Wednesday night, as the Thundering Herd dropped a 9-8 decision at West Virginia (21-18).
WVU started the game off strong with two runs in the first inning. With two runners in scoring position, Ivan Vera hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score the Mountaineer from third. Jackson Cramer knocked in the second run of the inning in the next at-bat with a single through the left side.
The Mountaineers pushed its lead to three in the fourth with a Cramer single to center field.
Marshall was able to respond in the ensuing inning with three runs off five hits. After a one-out walk by Tyler Ratliff (Alexandria, Va.), Sam Finfer (Bellevue, Wash.) homered to right-center field to cut the deficit to one. Following back-to-back singles by the Herd, Corey Bird (Elkview, W.Va.) singled to right field that scored Cory Garrastazu (Miami).
The tied game wouldn't last as West Virginia added one run in the bottom of the sixth. The Mountaineers went on to tack on five more runs in the bottom of the seventh.
The Thundering Herd responded in the eighth by scoring five runs of its own. Tommy Lane (Pendleton, Ore.) drove in the first run with a single to left center that scored Bird. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Ratliff hit a deep shot to left center for a grand slam.
It was Ratliff's first grand slam of his collegiate career, while it was Marshall's first since Sergio Leon hit one at Ohio in 2015.
Marshall had the top of its lineup in the ninth, but was unable to get anything going as they were retired in order.
The Herd was led by Bird, Bossi, Finfer and Ratliff at the plate. Bird and Bossi recorded their 14th mutli-hit game each this season, as Bird was 3-for-5 and Bossi was 2-for-4. Finfer had his sixth home run of the year, while Ratliff collected his third game of the season with four RBIs.
Freshman Patrick Murphy (4-3) suffered the setback after going 3.2 innings in relief with two earned runs on three hits. BJ Myers (5-3) takes the win for the Mountaineers.
ÂUP NEXT
The Herd hits the road for a Conference USA series in Murfreesboro, Tenn., against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (16-24, 4-14 C-USA), beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. (ET). Marshall is scheduled for games Saturday at 5 p.m. (ET) and Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET).
---HerdZone.com---
