The West Virginia Mountaineers called checkmate against Queens, clinching the series win with a 11-1 victory at Greensboro Stadium in Greensboro, N.C. to stay undefeated. Read more West Virginia baseball blows out Queens, stays unbeaten.
WVU (11-0) fell behind to QU (2–9) early but fought back hard, earning a comprehensive victory on Sunday afternoon.
Royals Fought Early
The Royals usurped the lead in the bottom of the second inning, as Caleb Williams smacked a homer to left field to break the 0-0 deadlock.
QU had a chance to double their lead, but sophomore Mountaineer left fielder Michael Perazza’s throw arrived at home plate far ahead of Michael Suppa, as freshman catcher Gavin Kelly applied the tag to end the third inning.
The Hitting Continues
Senior first baseman Grant Hussey continued to heat up, as he hit his second homer of the week to tie the game up at 1-1.
Junior second baseman Sam White put the Mountaineers in front, as his fifth-inning hit evaded both the QU shortstop and left fielder to allow senior shortstop Brodie Kresser to score.
READ: WEST VIRGINIA BASEBALL IS 10-0 AFTER SECOND WIN AGAINST QUEENS
White had a part in the next Mountaineer run, reaching base on a fielding error which Hussey scored on. Senior right fielder Jace Rinehart added two more runs with his RBI double which plated White, Sauve and Kresser. Kelly put the cherry on top of a five-run inning with a sac fly that scored Rinehart.
Kresser continued his great day in the top of the eighth with a solo homer to put the Mountaineers up 8-1. In the ninth inning redshirt freshman Alex Marot drew a bases loaded walk, with junior right fielder Ben Lumdsen scoring. This was followed by Hussey driving in another run, singling to left field to score sophomore third baseman Spencer Barnett.
RBI Machine
West Virginia may have had less hits at the plate, going 9-33 (.272), but they made those hits and their nine walks count en route to scoring 11 runs. Hussey went 3-5 with three RBI and a homer, reaching a .302 average on the year despite a slow start as the Parkersburg, W. Va. native has gone 8-16 with two home runs and five runs batted in this week.
Rinehart also had three RBI courtesy of his bases-clearing double in the seventh inning. Kresser capped off an outstanding series, with his 2-5 performance including a solo home run bringing him to 8-13 on the series, with five RBI and five extra base hits.
The Staff
On the mound, four pitchers all excelled as West Virginia only gave up one run. Starter Gavin Van Kempen showed the talent that got him taken by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2022 MLB Draft, as the junior right-handed pitcher pitched five innings, giving up one run on two hits and three walks, while also striking out five batters.
Senior righty Tarleton State transfer Reese Bassinger, freshman right-hander Bryant Yoak, sophomore lefty Joe Fredericks and sophomore righty Aidan Smith were outstanding out of the bullpen, as the West Virginia relief unit combined for four scoreless innings, giving up only one hit in the process while striking out seven Royals.
A four game sweep is up for grabs tomorrow in Charlotte, with first pitch at The Stick Williams Dreams Fields slated for 1 p.m.
