HUNTINGTON — Forget swiping right or left. Chase Swain swiped home.
West Virginia University’s third baseman stole home in the top of the ninth inning to rally the 24th-ranked Mountaineers (31-4) to a 5-4 victory over Marshall on Tuesday at Jack Cook Field.
Making the play more remarkable is that Swain’s 11th steal in 14 attempts came without a throw. Swain caught Thundering Herd pitcher Tim Baird by surprise.
“Coach [Steve] Sabins picked up early that when he comes set, he looks down and doesn’t check the runner,†Swain said of Baird. “We kind of determined if we got to two strikes there — he’s a hell of a pitcher — we’d take a chance.â€
Marshall coach Greg Beals said the lapse was unfortunate.
“Speed plays,†Beals said. “We lost a little bit of focus on the mound. We were intent on making a pitch and didn’t track the baserunner on that steal of home.â€
Sabins said the play was a matter of timing. Swain had a walking start with the Herd third baseman playing off the line with left-handed WVU hitter Skylar King at the plate.
“When he comes set, his head was down today,†Sabins said. “It was a one- or two-second count before he looked up. Swain’s one of our better runners. He can really run.â€
The Herd led 4-2 before WVU scored twice in the seventh inning. Swain scored the first of those runs after leading off with a double that might have been a triple had he not collided with an umpire. He and Brodie Kresser came around on a single by Spencer Barnett, who played last summer at Jack Cook Field for the Tri-State Coal Cats in the Appalachian League.
“We took our shot with two strikes,†Sabins said of the swipe of home. “A batting average with two strikes against that quality of an arm is pretty low.â€
The Mountaineers took a 2-0 lead off former Boyd County star Peyton Jackson. Jace Rinehart reached on an error, and one out later, Swain was hit by a pitch. Grant Hussey followed with a double to plate both runners.
Marshall tied it in the bottom of the second. Tyler Kamerer singled and later scored on a throwing error. Elijah Vogelsong walked before scoring on a squeeze by Eddie Leon.
The Herd took a 3-2 lead when Jackson Halter singled off Barnett’s glove to drive in Cam Harthan. Marshall added another run in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Noah Wilson and former Hurricane High standout Joel Gardner.
Carson Estridge, the fifth of five pitchers used by WVU, earned the win. Baird, the sixth Herd hurler, took the loss. Marshall pitchers held the Mountaineers to six hits, with no player garnering more than two.
Gardner went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles as the Herd left 11 runners on base to the Mountaineers’ four. Marshall left the bases loaded twice.
Both teams return to action Thursday. Marshall is at No. 21 Coastal Carolina, and WVU is at home against Cincinnati.
WEST VIRGINIA 020 000 201 — 5 6 1
MARSHALL 020 110 000 — 6 8 1
Hagen, Hudson (3), Bassinger (4), Stiffler (6), Estridge (8) and Sauve; Jackson, Collins (3), Albright (5), DiGiacomo (6), Krebs (7), Baird (8) and Wilson.
Hitting: (WVU) West 2B; Swain 2B; Hussey 2B. (MU) Gardner 2-3, 2 2B; Wilson 2B.
