April 24, 2007
Box Score
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - After a solo home run by freshman AJ Casario in the top of the first inning, the West Virginia Mountaineers thwarted the Maryland offense as the Terrapins fell, 13-2, at Hawley Field on Tuesday evening. WVU (24-13) won its first game over the Terps (23-21) in three seasons, as the Mountaineer offense overpowered the Terrapin pitching staff with 16 hits.
WVU starter Josh Whitlock (6-3) earned his sixth win of the season after tossing eight innings, holding the Terps to two runs on four hits. For the Terps, starter Mike Sufczynski (0-2) took the loss, as the right-hander allowed the first six Mountaineer runs in 3.2 innings pitched.
Shortstop Tyler Kuhn powered the Mountaineer offense, as he was 3-for-6 with four RBIs, including a pair of doubles. Casario, along with juniors Nick Jowers, Joe Palumbo and Steve Braun, recorded a hit in the contest.
Casario quickly gave the Terps a 1-0 lead in the first, when he took the first pitch deep over the center field wall. The Pine Hill, N.J., native notched his third career home run and second in four games.
From there, the Mountaineers retook control of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring four runs. A Justin Jenkins RBI double was followed by a three-run home run by designated hitter Trent Ridgley to give WVU a 4-1 lead.
West Virginia scored another two runs in the fourth inning, as Jordon Yost homered, while Kuhn singled up the middle for his first RBI of the evening.
Maryland cut the deficit to four runs in the top of the fifth, when Dan Benick scored after Palumbo hit a grounder to first base.
Again, the Mountaineers found an answer, plating five runs in the bottom half of the inning. A trio of run-scoring singles by Mike Schmidt, Jason Pape, and Adam White gave West Virginia a 9-2 lead. The next batter, Kuhn, added a pair of RBIs when he doubled to left center field, leaving the score 11-2.
WVU increased their total by two more runs in the seventh inning, as Pape scored on a wild pitch and Kuhn drove in another run with a double to right center.
Maryland closes out its 2007 road schedule this weekend when it visits ACC foe Virginia for a three-game series. First pitch from Davenport Field is set for 7 p.m. Friday, with Saturday's game scheduled for 7 p.m. as well. The series will conclude Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. All three games can be viewed live on ACC Select as well as heard on WMUC Sports.
