No. 15 West Virginia (34-12, 18-8) picked up a second victory against No. 7 Kansas, 5-2, Saturday, officially winning the series. Read more: WVU inches closer to top, beats Kansas 5-2 in game two
The Mountaineers are making a push for the No. 1 spot in the Big 12 Conference. They are now just two games behind the Jayhawks with four left to play.
Related: Maxx Yehl’s complete game propels WVU to win on the road in Kansas
Both sides homer early
Paul Schoenfeld went yard in the top of the first to give the Mountaineers an early 1-0 lead. The 399-foot-long ball was Schoenfeld’s third of the season and the third game in a row that saw West Virginia grab the first run of the game off a homer.
It would not take long for Kansas to respond, as Tyson LeBlanc would also hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first to tie the game 1-1. LeBlanc has been a consistent home run hitter for the Jayhawks, with the 411-foot homer being his 17th of the season.
Starting pitchers keep the contest close
Following the first inning homers, West Virginia was able to score another run in the top of the second when Brodie Kresser hit a sacrifice fly deep to left field, allowing Matthew Graveline to score unearned. The run would give the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead, which they held for several innings.
From there, starting pitchers Cole Chasen and Mason Cooke would put up multiple scoreless innings with minimal hits from the batters.
Chasen would give up an in-the-park homer to Josh Dykhoff at the bottom of the fifth, allowing Kansas to tie the contest once again, 2-2. The fifth would be Chasen’s final inning of play, finishing the day allowing only four hits and two earned runs. He also delivered six strikeouts and no walks. Korn replaced him the sixth inning.
Cooke made it 5.2 innings. Kansas pulled him in the sixth inning after allowing several hits to West Virginia. Riane Ritter would come in to relieve Cooke and close the inning, stranding the two Mountaineers on base.
Mountaineers strong offensively to close the game
Korn and Ritter held their own in their relief innings. The Mountaineers would capitalize in the top of the eighth. Brodie Kresser hit an RBI single, scoring Sean Smith unearned to regain the lead, 3-2. The Jayhawks would substitute Ritter for Boede Rahe following the scoring play.
In the top of the ninth, Gavin Kelly helped extend West Virginia’s lead to 5-2 after hitting a 432-foot two-run homer, his 12th of the season. The homer marked the Mountaineers’ fifth straight game with multiple homers.
Korn (4-0) would close the bottom of the ninth in 1-2-3 fashion, earning the win and securing the Mountaineers’ victory.
What’s next?
The Mountaineers have secured the series win. They will aim to sweep the Jayhawks tomorrow and further push for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference. First pitch from Hoglund Ballpark is set for tomorrow at 12 p.m.
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