West Virginia perseveres despite questionable pitching change, questionable calls, and more

There were plenty of moments that could have cost West Virginia baseball against Clemson during NCAA Regional play on Saturday -- or that could have at least took a negative toll on the Mountaineers mentally. But it seems that perseverance and tenacity are on the menu for the Mountaineers this weekend.

WVU walked away with a 9-6 win during the second day of action at the NCAA Tournament Clemson Regional, as they knocked off the hosting No. 1 seed Clemson Tigers to advance in the winner's bracket and put the Mountaineers just one victory away from their second consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance.

And you wouldn't imagine that a team that went up 4-0 early in the contest would have needed much tenacity or perseverance. But in the sixth inning, the Tigers notched two runs off a short home run down a 310-foot left field line and the Mountaineers pulled starting pitcher Jack Kartsonas from the lineup despite the team's questions regarding their bullpen depth.

From there, Clemson ran through two WVU relievers over the next inning as they rallied to take a 5-4 lead after seven innings, and it seemed another Mountaineer collapse was imminent. Luck seemed even further against West Virginia as Grant Hussey connected on a dinger that would have been a home run but was called foul in a controversial decision that required replay to determine.

But West Virginia bounced back in the eighth inning to tie the game, and with the game tied entering the final inning of play, the Mountaineers exploded for four runs to take the lead. Adversity would strike one final time as Clemson managed to score one more run in the bottom of the ninth and had the bases loaded with the winning run at the plate, but WVU dipped into the bullpen and pulled out their fifth pitcher of the day in Ben McDougal, who struck out the final Clemson batter to secure the win.

Saturday's performance followed the Mountaineers battling back from an early 3-0 deficit after a weather delay on Friday to send Kentucky into the elimination bracket. The resilience on display over the past two games has been quite the reassuring touch for West Virginia fans that were worried about the team's ability to handle NCAA Tournament play after dropping seven of their last nine games entering this weekend.

"It's who they are," West Virginia coach Steve Sabins said. "They've been this way, been resilient. There are certain moments throughout a season when you can see growth, and without struggles and adversity, you don't ever have the opportunity to see that."

The Mountaineers will face the winner of tomorrow afternoon's elimination game between Clemson and Kentucky on Sunday night -- they can advance to the Super Regional round with a win, but will get another game to secure that spot on Monday if they lose.