Reminiscent of WVU baseball's biggest struggles in 2025, a late-game bullpen collapse reared it's ugly ahead and allowed Kennesaw State to rally from a 6-0 deficit heading into the sixth inning to knock the Mountaineers off on Sunday.
The backend of the WVU bullpen still has some questions that second-year head coach Steve Sabins needs to answer as the season progresses. WVU claimed a 6-0 lead in the home half of the sixth inning, thanks to two home runs from sophomore standout Gavin Kelly. But the bullpen was not able to close the game and complete the three-game series sweep of the Kennesaw State Owls over the weekend. WVU dropped game three of the series by a final score of 7-6.
Getting the start on the mound for Sabins in the contest was redshirt junior left-hander Maxx Yehl. Yehl missed the entire 2025 season recovering from an arm injury and has yet to fully find his stride. Going into the season, some WVU baseball fans were expecting Yehl to have a big impact on this WVU pitching staff.
The 6-foot-6 left-handed starter got things off to a good start, as he went five innings against the Owls, not allowing a run to score. Yehl collected four strikeouts while allowing three free passes and four base hits to Kennesaw State hitters.
Things started well at the plate too, as catcher and utility man Kelly finished the game going 3-of-4 with two home runs, four RBIs, three runs scored, and one walk. The only other hitter for the Mountaineers to record a multi-hit game was Ohio State transfer Matthew Graveline.
Graveline, who splits time behind the plate with Kelly, started the game behind the plate on Sunday and went 2-of-4 with a double in the ninth inning and drew a walk. Redshirt freshman Ryan Maggy got the start at designated hitter and recorded a two-run single in the top of the first inning.
But coming out of the bullpen, a trio of relievers who will be heavily relied on for the rest of the season struggled to get outs and keep the Owls off the scoreboard. Left-hander Bryson Thacker, a Tennessee transfer, gave up three runs (one earned run), two hits, two wild pitches, and one walk in 1.1 innings of work.
Returning right-handed pitcher Carson Estridge only recorded one out, but allowed two earned runs and two hits. Freshman standout David Perez, who has earned opportunities to close games with Chase Meyer working back from a finger injury, did not have his best stuff on Sunday, allowing a home run in his 1.1 innings of work.
That home run was a two-RBI blast that ultimately allowed Kennesaw State to claim victory over WVU. Perez did showcase his electric fastball, getting a strikeout with a heater at the top end of the strike zone that looked like it had some serious velocity to it.
The Mountaineers will return to action when they host Radford for a two-game series during the week. The first game will start at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, with the second game scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday.