Baseball: Mountaineers Rout Eagles

By Grant Dovey for WVUsports.com
March 22, 2011 07:15 PM

Kevin Griffin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - After allowing six runs in the top of the first inning, the WVU baseball team scored 20 unanswered runs in a 20-6 rout of Eastern Michigan in game one of a doubleheader on Tuesday evening at Hawley Field.

The Mountaineers (14-8) finished with 20 runs, 19 hits, 20 RBIs, two home runs and six doubles, while Eastern Michigan (11-8) scored six runs on five hits.

Offensively, catcher Kevin Griffin led the Mountaineers with a 4-for-5 performance, including two doubles, two runs and three RBIs. Griffin hit a single in the first, scoring Jeremy Gum to make the score 6-3 in favor of Eastern Michigan. In the third inning, Griffin’s first double drove in Chris Rasky and Ryan McBroom, while he also produced a single in the fourth and a double in the fifth.

Shortstop Grant Buckner and second baseman Dan DiBartolomeo each hit their fourth home runs of the season, while Buckner finished 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs and DiBartolomeo batting 2-for-2 with three runs and four RBIs. Buckner’s first-inning blast went over the left center wall, scoring DiBartolomeo, while DiBartolomeo homered to left center in the fourth inning, scoring Brady Wilson and Mark Dvoroznak.

Other standout offensive performances included Wilson (2-for-4, three runs, one RBI), Justin McDavid (2-for-4, three runs, four RBIs), Gum (3-for-5, three runs, two RBIs), McBroom (2-for-5, one run, two RBIs) and Dvoroznak (2-for-5, two runs, one RBI).

Redshirt freshman left-hander Marshall Thompson improved his record to 3-0, allowing five hits and six runs in six innings of work. Thompson only allowed two hits in five innings after allowing six runs and three hits in the first inning. Right-hander Zach Bargeron came in to pitch the seventh inning and shutout the Eagles.

Eastern Michigan used four pitchers on the evening, with three giving up at least four runs. Starter Steve Weber went 2.1 innings, allowing five hits and six runs, while Neil Butara came on in relief and gave on nine runs and nine hits in 2.2 innings. Sam Ott finished the game for the Eagles, pitching one inning and allowing one hit.

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