Amazing pitching performance from Griffin Kirn leads WVU baseball to 7-1 win on Friday

Making his third start of the season, southpaw pitcher Griffin Kirn was nothing short of spectacular on Friday as WVU baseball kept their perfect season alive with a 7-1 win over Queens (NC).

Making his first start in Division 1 Baseball on February 14, Kirn has looked dominant in his appearances this season. After his third start of the year, the D2 transfer from Quincy University was able to outdo his first performance, which left many Mountaineer fans very impressed.

Kirn’s final line included eight innings pitched, one run (unearned) allowed, five hits, 10 strikeouts, and no walks. An important takeaway from Kirn’s performance that might not get the attention it deserves-- zero walks. That is something that first-year head coach Sabins must be thrilled to see.

After their win on Wednesday over the Ohio Bobcats, walks were appearing to be a moderate issue for the WVU pitching staff. How did Kirn go about correcting that issue? He did it by simply not walking anyone through his eight amazing innings of work Friday.

Queens took a 1-0 lead going into the top of second. The one run that Queens was able to plate was unearned, and Kirn shut the door on the Royals offense for the rest of the night. Queens was able to get a runner to third after a failed pick-off attempt led to an error when the ball got away from Grant Hussey on an errant throw from Kirn. An RBI single scored the lone run for the Royals in the bottom of the first inning.

Bouncing back after the bottom of the first, Kirn retired 14 consecutive batters stretching from the first inning to the sixth inning before a single ended the stretch of consecutive batters retired. The left-handed pitcher was filling up the strike zone and racking up strikeouts on his way to his second win of the season.

Contributing to Kirn’s excellence on the mound were Mountaineer hitters Sam White, Brodie Kresser, and Grant Hussey, who all had strong games. Kresser went 3-3 with two doubles, two RBIs, and one run scored from the leadoff spot in the lineup, while White went 3-5, extending his hit streak to six games, and swiped a stolen base. Meanwhile, Hussey went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

White also turned heads with his fielding abilities in the game as he had an acrobatic catch that saw the infielder complete a cartwheel to secure a pop-up in the bottom of the fifth.

Hussey also got recognition for his defensive efforts in the bottom of the seventh. When a slightly off-line throw from third base pulled Hussey off the bag, the Parkersburg native was able to maneuver off the first base bag, catch the throw up the line, and then apply the tag to the Royals baserunner in time to record the out. ESPN+ commentators quoted Sabins stating that “Hussey was the best defensive first baseman he has coached”.

A few baserunning blunders were the lone dark spot for WVU on Friday night. The first inning saw Kresser picked off at second base when dancing to a lead. Later, West was thrown out at second. West was caught stealing after the catcher dropped a strike call. Guzman was thrown out at the plate in the top of the third on a base hit by Kresser.