WVU annihilated 23-1 in Backyard Brawl
No. 15 West Virginia was run-ruled 23-1 against Pittsburgh inside Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday night.
Typically, the Backyard Brawl brings lots of excitement and honed in execution; this one did not. WVU never stood a chance after Pitt exploded for 19 runs before the Mountaineers could even get one, sending the sold-out crowd home early.
To break the game down as quickly as possible, this is how many runs Pitt scored each inning in order: one, seven, eight, three, three, one, before its only scoreless inning in the seventh.
Starting for WVU was southpaw Bryson Thacker, whom the Panthers torched. Thacker lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing three homers for five runs in his first start of the season.
From there, WVU used nine other arms and allowed 19 earned runs with 15 walks. Thacker lasted the longest, with southpaw Ben McDougal, right-hander Weston Smith and left-hander Joshua Surigao all lasting a full inning.
This is just the seventh time this decade WVU has allowed five homers in a game, while Pitt totaled 13 hits, compared to WVU’s two.
Pitt scored the first run of the game in the first inning. Thacker retired the first two hitters, but Lorenzo Carrier took a two-strike pitch high into the sky, landing in the visitor’s bullpen for his 15th home run of the season. A single followed, before shortstop Matt Ineich caught a line drive on one knee, putting WVU to the plate.
The Mountaineers went down in order as Pitt left the first inning with a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers exploded for four more runs in the second inning. Two big flies took Thacker out of the game. Sebastian Pisacreta hit a 409-foot solo shot onto the road, and AJ Nessler drilled a three-run homer. Right-hander Bryant Yoak entered the game with one out. He induced a groundout, then loaded the bases with a single and two walks. Throwing a ball to the next batter, right-hander David Hagen entered and walked in a run, before a wild pitch scored two runs, and a strikeout ended the frame.
In the bottom half, WVU loaded the bases with two outs with a single from Ineich and two walks, but a strikeout from left fielder Brock Wills ended the threat.
After two innings, Pitt led 8-0.
Pitt doubled its score in the third inning. Hagen allowed a three-run homer off the bat of Caden Dulin, then surrendered two walks. Right-hander JT Huther then came with an out, immediately forcing another. He then walked a batter, loading the bases before two hit-by-pitches, a walk and a single plated four runs.
Entering the fourth inning, WVU trailed 16-0.
McDougal entered in the fourth and allowed three runs with a homer by Pisacreta. No runs were earned as catcher Matthew Graveline dropped a pop-up with two outs.
WVU scored a run in the fourth inning. Right fielder Armani Guzman reached on a fielder’s choice, then Graveline moved him to third with a single. A wild pitch allowed Guzman to score.
After four innings, Pitt led 19-1.
Smith was in the game to start the fifth, and he allowed three earned runs with a base-clearing double from Trey Fenderson.
WVU brought in right-hander David Perez for the sixth, who allowed two runners before an RBI double. He struck out the next two hitters, bringing in right-hander Mac Stiffler, who allowed a walk, then ended the inning with a groundout.
Suriago pitched the seventh inning and sat down the side. WVU came up and went down in order, ending the game.
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