Griffin Kirn struck out a season-high 14 batters in 6.2 innings of work, and the West Virginia offense came through with four home runs to extend its winning streak to five games. West Virginia came from behind to defeat the Utah Utes 6-3 on Friday at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (25-4, 5-3 Big 12) moved into fifth place in the league after taking the first game of the series against the Utes (13-4, 2-8 Big 12). Utah has now lost five consecutive games.
Kirn showed command of the assignment almost from the beginning, striking out four of the first eight hitters he faced. He made one mistake through his first six innings, a solo home run by Utah first baseman Drake DiGiorno. Otherwise, Kirn was in control, recording at least two strikeouts in four of his six complete innings. His best frame was the sixth, where he set down all three Utah hitters he faced on strikes, none getting the bat off their shoulder.
Read More: Kirn Strikes Out 14, Mountaineers Win Their Fifth Straight
Kirn’s sharp performance gave the Mountaineers time to get their offense on track against Utah starter Colter McAnelly. West Virginia left three men on base in its first two times at bat, but back-to-back home runs from Kyle West and Jace Rinehart gave West Virginia its first lead of the game. The Mountaineers nearly broke the game open in the fifth inning, but Armani Guzman got caught trying to steal third. That proved costly when Logan Sauve followed with a home run, which would have otherwise been a two-run shot.
Bats Come Alive to Help Mountaineers Win Their Fifth Straight
Once McAnelly left the game in the bottom of the eighth, the Mountaineers got their bats going. Skylar King led off the inning with a single, and the Utes pulled McAnelly a batter later for Jackson Elder. Grant Hussey immediately made Utah pay for that move with a two-run home run to right center, putting the Mountaineers ahead to stay. After a Spencer Barnett double and a walk put runners at the corners, Utah further hurt its cause by trying to end the inning on a steal attempt at second. Instead, the Utes missed the throw to second base, allowing Barnett to trot home with an insurance run.
Read More: Around the Big 12
Chase Meyer closed out the Utes in the ninth, part of a one-hit performance in relief of Kirn. Meyer came on in the seventh and worked two hitless innings after allowing the tying runs. Following the Mountaineers’ eighth-inning outburst, he picked up his fifth win of the season. McAnelly took the loss, dropping to 2-2 on the year.
With severe weather moving east from Indiana and Ohio toward the Mountain State and flooding expected over the weekend, the teams have proactively canceled Sunday’s game. They will now play a doubleheader on Saturday in hopes of getting the complete series played. The first game will start at 1 p.m. Per Big 12 and NCAA rules, the second game must start within 30 minutes of the first game’s conclusion.
