WVU baseball gave a glimpse Saturday of how explosive their offense can be as they used a huge six-run inning to propel them to a 10-3 win over Jacksonville in the opening game of a double-header.
The Mountaineer bats seemed to have traveled to Jacksonville -- well at least in the second inning of the first game on Saturday. Led by a big performance from slugger Skylar King who drove home two RBIs with a massive triple in the top of the second, the Mountaineers racked up the runs with ease from there.
Brodie Kresser followed King’s triple with an RBI single that scored King. Armani Guzman smoked a double to right field not long after, and Logan Sauve only needed one pitch to drive in Kresser. Sam White also contributed in the second with an RBI ground out and Alex Marot drove in his first collegiate run with an RBI single.
King led the offensive charge for the Mountaineers in the first game of the doubleheader. King started his day with the aforementioned triple in the second inning. But King was locked in the entire game as he finished going 3-4 with three RBIs while scoring one run.
Kresser, playing shortstop in game one, was another big contributor in game one, also going 3-4 while adding one RBI and two runs scored. Kresser ripped a double in the top of the sixth. Sauve continued to show success early in the season, going 2-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Sauve continues to show why he was highly anticipated to have a good season this year for the Mountaineers.
A couple of new faces in the lineup, and the program, had some good moments during game one. Senior transfer from USC Upstate, Jace Rinehart ripped a double off the left field wall to lead off the third inning. Rinehart, who was heard on the ESPN+ broadcast being called “Rhino” by teammates in the dugout, ended the night going 1-3 with one walk. In his first start on the young season, “Rhino” Rinehart showed some pop from the right side of the plate.
Another WVU newcomer, Marot, showed some potential from the right side of the plate. The freshman Marot went 2-4 with a double and one RBI. The freshman got the start at third base in game one while hitting his double in the seventh inning.
Congrats to #31 Alex Marot on picking up his first collegiate hit! https://t.co/XoOk012qld pic.twitter.com/QgKJMn0UrS
— WVU Baseball Analytics📊 (@WVUBBAnalytics) February 15, 2025
Speed, getting on base, and running early and often seem to be a major part of the offensive game plan. Michael Perazza tallied two steals and Sauve had one in the first game of the doubleheader. The Mountaineers swept the double-header behind a huge day as a whole from King, and moved to 3-0.
Game four will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday and will be the series finale.