WVU completes the sweep at Kansas with statement 13-2 win
No. 15 West Virginia completed the sweep against No. 7 Kansas with a 13-2 victory inside Hoglund Ballpark Sunday afternoon.
After the win, the Mountaineers moved within one game of the Big 12 lead with a 19-8 record. The Jayhawks still lead the confrence at 20-7 and need just one win next weekend at BYU to claim at least a share of the league’s regular season title. With the possibility of both programs finishing with the same record, WVU holds the tiebreaker over Kansas, thus giving them the higher seed in the Big 12 tournament.
At the plate, WVU was completely in control, totaling 13 hits. All but one Mountaineer totaled a knock, with four mult-hit games. Designated hitter Sean Smith led the way as he was a double shy of the cycle, driving in four runs. Center fielder Paul Schoenfeld and third baseman Tyrus Hall both had three RBIs on two hits each.
Right-hander Dawson Montesa got the ball for WVU and had to work for every out. It was a short stint for Montesa, lasting just three innings and exhausting 80 pitches. He struck out three batters, but his four walks and two hits turned into two earned runs as he faced 15 batters.
Earning the win was right-hander Reese Bassinger, who completed the contest, firing five innings in relief. He struck out four batters and did not allow a run, surrendering just two hits. He is now 2-2 on the season.
To begin the game, catcher Gavin Kelly was the only Mountaineer to reach. Later, he was picked off at first base, ending with a rundown. In the bottom half, Kansas saw one runner reach with a walk, but nothing past first base, while Montesa saw a strikeout, ending the inning.
The second inning saw WVU take the lead. After two outs, first baseman Armani Guzman scorched a triple to the right field corner. Second baseman Brodie Kresser cashed in on the situation, singling to right field with two strikes. The lead did not last long as Kansas came up and saw a two-run homer off the bat of Tyson Owens that traveled 457 feet. Montesa had to work for the final three outs, using 36 more pitches to get out of the inning.
In the third inning, WVU retook the lead. After an out started the frame, catcher Gavin Kelly reached on an error. Smith then took a pitch over the left field wall for a two-RBI home run. Kansas came up and looked like it was going to start another rally after a leadoff single, but Montesa settled in and retired the next three hitters.
After three innings, WVU led 3-2.
The Mountaineers went down in order in the fourth, then Bassinger entered for the bottom half. He retired the first batter he saw before a double to right center. The inning ended with a diving play from Schoenfeld, who relayed the ball back to second base after the runner misread the play, rounding third base.
Fast forward to the sixth inning, WVU tacked on six runs. Left fielder Matthew Graveline started the inning with a single, then Guzman walked. After an out, right fielder Ben Lumsden walked, leading to Hall being hit by a pitch, bringing in a run. Shortstop Matt Ineich hit a slow chopping grounder to second base, resulting in a fielder’s choice for a run. Kelly was intentionally walked, loading the bases again before Schoenfeld placed a pop-up in no man’s land for a base-clearing double. Smith capped it off with an RBI single to left field.
Bassinger retired the side in the bottom half as the Mountaineers led 9-2 through six innings.
In the seventh inning, WVU added two more runs. Graveline walked, and Kresser singled up the middle with an out in between. After a walk, Hall lined a double off the right-center field wall for two RBIs.
After a clean frame from Bassinger, WVU put the final nail in the coffin with two runs in the eighth. Schoenfeld started the inning with a walk, then Smith tripled off the center field wall for an RBI. A few batters later, Kresser plated Smith with a sacrifice fly to center field.
With a 13-2 lead and the run rule in effect in the bottom half, Bassinger walked the first batter he saw. Two flyouts followed, then a strikeout ended the game.
Offer Alert
Fall camp is here and there’s no better time to sign up with us to get all your WVU intel! Sign up today – $1 for the first week, plus a complimentary year of access to The Athletic included. Join – http://gowvu.us/Join
__________________________________________
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan
•Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
