West Virginia baseball dropped their first conference game since March 27 on Saturday, ending a 14 conference game winning streak. But after dropping Game One in a three-game series, WVU was able to bounce back in the final two games to take the series over the Texas Tech Raiders.
The last two wins by WVU (39-7 and 18-4 Big 12) over Texas Tech (16-28 and 11-13 Big 12) brought WVU to 16-1 over their last 17 conference games and securing six conference series in a row.
Two Mountaineers were ejected during the doubleheader on Saturday. In Game One, first-year head coach Steve Sabins was ejected after arguing with home plate umpire Rick Allen after a balk call was issued to WVU’s Griffin Kirn. To begin Game tTo of the doubleheader, Skylar King was ejected in the bottom of the first for arguing balls and strikes.
And in Game Three of the series, WVU pitchers would complete a shutout to secure the series win over the Red Raiders. It would be a wild weekend for the Mountaineers, but as the postseason is quickly approaching, every win is significant.
Game One: WVU 4, Texas Tech 6
WVU’s late comeback effort fell short on Saturday. In game one of the doubleheader, WVU trailed 6-1 after the top of the seventh. But the Mountaineers did not go quietly. The Mountaineers put up a fight, getting four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, making it a 6-4 game after seven.
Unfortunately, that would be all the offense that WVU could manage in game one of the doubleheader. Typically a Friday starter, Kirn was pushed back to Game One of the doubleheader on Saturday, and he struggled with keeping runners off the base paths in the 6-4 loss. Kirn allowed six hits and two walks in 6.1 innings of work. Allowing a plethora of base runners resulted in the left-handed starter giving up five runs (four earned).
Offensively, not much was going for the Mountaineers before the four-run seventh inning. Sam White had a multiple-hit game with a double. White has recently returned to the lineup after missing several weeks with an injury.
Grant Hussey, the program leader in career home runs, added one more to career home run number in Game One. Hussey and White were the only WVU hitters to manage a multi-hit day. Skylar King recorded two RBIs on the day with a two-run home run in the seventh inning to bring WVU within two runs of the Red Raiders.
Game Two: WVU 3, Texas Tech 2
WVU was led to a win by an outstanding performance from Reese Bassinger in the second contest on Saturday. Bassinger was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association’s (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List back in April, and Bassinger has done nothing but live up to that nomination.
Bassinger (3.29 ERA) has the second-most innings pitched (50 IP) on the team behind starter Kirn (62.2 IP). On Saturday, Bassinger was excellent in relief of Gavin Van Kempen, who only went two innings. Van Kempen got the start in the midweek against Marshall, a game which the Mountaineers lost on a throwing error, leaving many wondering if there would be a new starter for the weekend series against Texas Tech. Van Kempen may have been on a pitch count limit from Coach Sabins since he did start on Wednesday. Either way, the short outing did not harm WVU at all as Bassinger was able to go seven innings, only allowing two runs.
White also seemed to be returning to his offensive success before the injury. In Game Two of the doubleheader, White had two RBI doubles that scored two-of-three WVU runs. West Virginia native Jace Rhinehart drove White in for the other WVU run.
Game Three: WVU 5, Texas Tech 0
A combined shutout from three WVU pitchers sealed Game Three and the series for Sabins’ squad. Getting the start on Sunday was Jack Kartsonas (6-1). The former reliever turned starter was great again for the Mountaineers.
This was Kartsonas’ fourth start and fourth time going at least six innings pitched (his last three starts before Sunday: 7 IP, 6 IP, and 6.2 IP, respectively). Sunday was no different, as he would end up pitching seven shutout innings for WVU. His final line read: 7 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 7 Ks.
For the second game in a row, Sabins would only need to use two pitchers in a win over Texas Tech. Carson Estridge worked two scoreless innings of relief to end the game. Estridge finished with three strikeouts, one walk, and one hit allowed.
Breaking the 0-0 gridlock, shortstop award watch list player Brodie Kresser ripped a two-out double to score two in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hussey followed it up with his own two-out double to score Kresser in the same inning.
A massive two-run home run was blasted by Kyle West during the win. West’s big fly went 421 feet and had an exit velocity recorded at 107 mph according to the WVU Baseball Analytics’ X account. That massive homer was West’s 50th career collegiate home run across his combined time playing for Division 2 Charleston and WVU.
WVU currently sits in first place in the Big 12 standings after the series win. With the postseason quickly approaching, the series win is a huge step for the Mountaineers to chase their goals of a conference championship and hosting an NCAA regional.