Montesa's gem put's WVU in good spot for Regional Final
In the biggest game of the season, Dawson Montesa delivered his best performance. After an up-and-down year in the starting role, he did not let that affect him in West Virginia’s 10-5 win against Wake Forest. Montesa’s outing pushed the Mountaineers to the Morgantown Regional Championship, putting them in a much better position to win.
Carried The Mountaineers
In an elimination game, Montesa kept WVU alive. He pitched a season-high 7.1 innings, fanning seven batters, allowing four hits and surrendering five earned runs.
After WVU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, he made sure to never give it back. Manager Steve Sabins applauded his outing.
“Montesa just put the team on his back, absolutely carried this thing. He had his best outing of the season in the biggest moment,” Sabins said.
Winning the game against Wake Forest was task one. Now WVU has a matchup with Kentucky, starting two hours after the last pitch was thrown. Montesa’s lengthy outing allowed Sabins to deploy just one arm out of the bullpen, Reese Bassinger. With more arms available to go against the Wildcats, Sabins believes Montesa had one of the more clutch starts he’s seen.
“It’s more than just winning that game; it’s about preserving what’s left of a thin bullpen to begin with. So huge performance, as big as I have been part of,” Sabins said.
Wanting The Ball
After the loss to Kentucky on Saturday night, Montesa got word he would be on the mound after the game. In Chipotle, he received the news and was fired up, sending a fiery message to his manager.
“It was after the game last night. I was actually in Chipotle, and I got a text saying you got the ball tomorrow,” Montesa said. “I’m not gonna say it, but I said I texted Sabins, ‘Hell yeah.’ I knew I wanted the ball.”
Montesa cruised through the first two innings, then ran into trouble in the third and fourth, allowing Wake Forest to tie the game at 3-3. WVU responded with a run in the fifth and exploded for six in the sixth inning. This gave Montesa more of a leash to give length.
Letting Emotions Out
So allowing a leadoff home run in the seventh inning was not an issue. He worked two outs after the big fly, then surrendered a walk. The runner got into scoring position with a steal, giving Wake Forest signs of life. That quickly ended with a swinging strikeout in a full count. The typically poised Montesa was fired up, leaving the field, pumping his chest, firing up the stadium.
“It just meant more. Usually, I’m poised and don’t blow my load before I go out there for another inning, but I guess the moment was pretty big, and I couldn’t hold it in, so it’s pretty fun,” Montesa said.
Curtain Call
He was removed from the game after recording an out in the eighth inning. The Mountaineer crowd gave him a standing ovation, leading to a curtain call. Montesa said having that support from the fans led him to WVU.
“That was sick. It’s pretty much what I came here for. It’s a great fan base. First curtain call, I’m pretty sure. So that was pretty cool,” Montesa said.
Earning a curtain call, you need to have delivered something special. And that was exactly what Montesa did, even so to that point that Sabins has never seen one at WVU.
“I think that’s the first curtain call of all time for West Virginia baseball. I’m serious,” Sabins said.
Reset From The Bullpen
There may have been some doubts when Montesa was given the ball in the biggest game of the year. Entering the contest, he posted a 5.94 ERA across 63.2 innings pitched for a 3-5 record in 13 starts. But his last three appearances came from the bullpen, where Montesa said he found his groove.
“I didn’t have the best season or up to my standards,” Montesa said. “But I flushed it. The bullpen did give me a little reset. Allowed me to go out there and pound the zone.”
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