Mountaineer Magic Strikes Twice: WVU Stuns Clemson with Ninth-Inning Heroics
CLEMSON, S.C. — Lightning doesn’t strike twice—unless it’s wearing old gold and blue.
For the second day in a row, West Virginia University pulled off an improbable comeback on enemy turf, silencing a stunned Doug Kingsmore Stadium with a four-run ninth inning to complete a 9-6 upset win over No. 6 Clemson. What had begun as a sun-drenched Saturday of Tiger dominance ended in disbelief, as Mountaineer Magic—so often whispered about in Morgantown—came alive in South Carolina air.
Trailing 6-5 entering the top of the ninth, WVU showed no signs of intimidation. Freshman infielder Caleb Simmons, 19 and baby-faced but batting like a seasoned pro, led off with a sharp single through the right side. “We weren’t going to lay down,” Simmons said postgame, still gripping a bat with pine tar on the handle. “They’re a top-10 team, but we believe in our fight.”
The fight continued. A bloop double down the left field line by junior catcher Mason Harrell put runners on second and third with no outs. The Clemson faithful leaned forward, murmuring anxiously. They’d seen this yesterday—when WVU erased a five-run deficit in the eighth. Now it was happening again.
Next up, senior outfielder Tyrese Miller took a 2-1 slider deep to left. It wasn’t a homer, but it was enough—a two-run single that gave WVU a 7-6 lead and silenced the orange-clad crowd.
But the Mountaineers weren’t done.
After a bunt single and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, cleanup slugger Diego Morales stepped in. With one out, he launched a sacrifice fly that plated another run. Moments later, a wild pitch from Clemson closer Jake Simmons brought home the ninth run. By the time the dust settled, WVU had scored four runs on four hits, a walk, and a costly mental error.
“I’ve coached a lot of ball,” said WVU head coach Randy Mazey, his voice hoarse with emotion. “But what we saw these last two nights—heart, grit, belief—that’s something special. These boys never quit.”
Clemson tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth, getting two runners aboard with one out. But Mountaineer reliever Jace Newell, a wiry sophomore with ice in his veins, induced a game-ending double play on a 95 mph sinker that buckled the knees of Clemson’s cleanup hitter.
Game over. Series over. Silence.
In the postgame press conference, Clemson coach Erik Bakich looked shell-shocked. “We didn’t execute,” he said simply. “They did. Credit to West Virginia. They came in and took it.”
The win marked WVU’s first series victory over a top-10 opponent since 2018 and sent shockwaves through the college baseball landscape. It was the kind of weekend that fuels postseason dreams and etches names into school legend.
Back in Morgantown, fans were already buzzing online, coining the phrase: “Mountaineer Magic in the Clemson Mist.”
And for two unforgettable days in South Carolina, magic it was.
