West Virginia Baseball Takes Game One Against Queens
Griffin Kirn pitched eight dominant innings for the West Virginia University baseball team, as WVU triumphed 7-1 over Queens at Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, N.C., reaching 9-0 for the first time since 1964.
The Royals (2-6) took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, as QU DH Justin Hudson singled off Kirn.
WVU had an opportunity to tie the score up in the third inning, but Queens center fielder Caleb Stewart threw out sophomore right fielder Armani Guzman at the plate.
Undeterred, Guzman contributed to eventually tying the game up, as he hit a sac fly in the top of the fifth inning, with junior center fielder Skylar King deftly evading the tag. Senior shortstop Brodie Kresser then gave West Virginia the lead, as his double down the left field line plated senior first baseman Grant Hussey.
Senior DH Kyle West appeared to have added to the WVU lead, but once again Stewart saved the day for the Royals, as he made a tremendous snag in deep center field, forcing junior second baseman Sam White to retreat back to first base.
Kirn Settles In
By now, Kirn had settled in, as the lefty redshirt senior transfer from Quincy University retired 14 straight batters until a sixth-inning single.
Kresser added to the WVU lead with another RBI, as a double hit to left-center scored redshirt junior third baseman Chase Swain to put the Mountaineers up 3-1. Junior catcher Logan Sauve then tacked on one more, with Kresser crossing the plate after his infield single. Hussey wowed in the field during the bottom of the frame, coming off the bag to grab a throw and tag the Royals runner out.
Hussey added an RBI of his own in the top of the eighth to score King, before Sauve walked with the bases loaded, with Spencer Barnett scoring.
Kirn let two runners on in the bottom of the right, but quickly responded with two of the last three strikeouts of the inning to neutralize the Queens scoring threat.
A seventh run was tacked on in the top of the ninth as King scored on a wild pitch.
Hudson Shuts the Door
Freshman right-handed pitcher Benjamin Hudson relieved Kirn in the ninth, and made quick work of the Royals, securing a 7-1 victory for the Mountaineers.
It was a proficient day at the plate for West Virginia, going 12-35 with four walks, scoring seven runs. It was the top of the order that got it done for the Mountaineers, with Kresser going 3-3 as he and Sauve had two RBI, and No. 3 hitter Sam White going 3-5. Additionally, King had three runs scored.
The two-man effort on the mound was also prolific in the win, as WVU gave up just one run on six and an impressive zero walks, while striking out 11 batters.
The Mountaineers are back in action tomorrow looking to go 10-0, facing Queens at 2 p.m.
