BOX SCORE

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia baseball team scored a season-high 26 runs on 27 hits and 23 RBIs, including four home runs, all season highs, as the Mountaineers soared past Coppin State 26-3, at Hawley Field this afternoon. The 23-run margin of victory ties for the eighth highest this season nationally.

WVU stretched its win streak out to nine games, which currently ties for the fourth longest in the country.

Freshman Jedd Gyorko hit two home runs and recorded five RBIs, while sophomore Vince Belnome had four hits and finished with a career-best five RBIs to lead the West Virginia attack.

Junior Joe Agreste had a season-high three doubles, the most of any Mountaineer this season, and hit one home run, the first of his WVU career. Justin Parks had four hits and Austin Markel added three hits, including a home run to go with five RBIs.

Right-handed pitcher Jarryd Summers (2-2) picked up his second win of the season, allowing three runs on four hits, striking out six and walking two in six innings of work from the mound. Coppin State’s Nick Ericson (0-4) dropped his fourth game, allowing 19 runs on 16 hits, in just 2.2 innings of work.

Coppin State (2-22) managed just three runs on four hits and committed three errors in a game that ended in the seventh inning due to the 10-run mercy rule.

WVU (17-4, 3-0) started strong, scoring six runs in the first inning. The highlight of the inning came when junior transfer Agreste hit a three-run home run.

Gyorko homered to center field to open the second inning before Agreste hit an RBI double to left center field, putting the Mountaineers up, 8-0.

The Eagles answered in the third inning with three runs, when Brandon Alexander hit an RBI double to deep left center, plating Kendall Wilson and Roman Batista. Harry Williams then hit a single to drive in Alexander and minimize WVU’s lead to five.

WVU blew the game open with 13 runs in the bottom of the third to gain a 21-3 lead. Belnome hit a three-RBI double, while Markel hit an RBI triple down the right field line to get things going. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Gyorko hit a grand-slam, his second home run of the day, to put the Mountaineers up 19-3. Then, Markel added a two-run home run, the fourth homer of the game, to bring the lead to 21-3.

The Mountaineers kept at it in the fourth, scoring three runs on four hits. In the fifth, Tyler Scruggs recorded his first RBI of the season, when he singled up the middle to plate Agreste. Parks then hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Scruggs, broadening the lead and creating the final score, 26-3.

Next up, the Mountaineers will play host to Morehead State on Tuesday, March 25, at Hawley Field. Game one of the doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. Print View   Email