{"id":244992,"date":"2026-04-11T11:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/244992\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T11:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:14:11","slug":"mountaineers-defeat-texas-tech-to-open-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/244992\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountaineers Defeat Texas Tech to Open Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

LUBBOCK, Texas\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team defeated Texas Tech, 12-8, Friday night at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. The Mountaineers improve to 23-7 and 9-4 in the Big 12 while the Red Raiders fall to 19-14 and 5-8 in conference play.
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\nJunior Tyrus Hall<\/a> went 3-for-3 with two RBI while sophomore Matt Ineich<\/a> drove in three runs. Senior Paul Schoenfeld<\/a> had three hits with graduate student Sean Smith<\/a> and senior Matthew Graveline<\/a> both driving in two runs.
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\nJunior Dawson Montesa<\/a> threw 7.0 innings with five strikeouts while allowing five runs against the nation’s top offense.\u00a0
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\nWest Virginia jumped out to the lead in the second inning as Hall hit an RBI single. He then stole second while senior Ben Lumsden<\/a> came home to score on an error. In the bottom of the inning, the Red Raiders got a run on the board, but Schoenfeld cut down the tying run with a throw to the plate from center field.
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\nAnother Texas Tech error in the third pushed the WVU lead back to two at 3-1 before the Red Raiders responded in the fifth inning with four runs to take the lead.
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\nIn the seventh, the Mountaineers retook the lead with three two-out runs. Kelly singled home a run before Smith hit a two-run double off the right-fielder’s glove down the line to put WVU on top.
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\nTexas Tech tied the game at six in the eighth, but in the top of the ninth, the Mountaineers exploded for six runs to go back in front. Graveline gave WVU the lead with a two-run single before a bases-loaded walk to Hall pushed across a third run. Ineich provided the big blow with a three-run double to provide the cushion.
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\nThe Red Raiders put two runs on the board in the ninth, but the game ended when senior Carson Estridge<\/a> picked off Kyeler Thompson at third base.
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\nThe two teams will return on Saturday for game two of the series. First pitch has been moved up to 1 p.m. ET.
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\nFor more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.
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