Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
KENNESAW, Ga. — A dominant start from Dawson Montesa and No. 24 West Virginia used an early offensive surge to cruise past Kennesaw State, 12-4, in the series opener Friday night at Mickey Dunn Stadium.
The Mountaineers (7-1) broke the game open with a six-run third inning and never looked back, piling up 16 hits, six walks and three stolen bases against the Owls (4-4). Matt Ineich, Gavin Kelly and Paul Schoenfeld each recorded three hits, while Schoenfeld drove in three runs and Ineich crossed the plate three times.
Brock Wills set the tone by leading off the third inning with a home run to right field, his second in as many games. WVU followed by loading the bases and producing four straight hits, including a two-run double from Kelly and a two-RBI single by Armani Guzman. Schoenfeld capped the inning with an RBI single as the Mountaineers sent nine straight batters aboard.
Kennesaw State didn’t record an out in the inning until the Mountaineers were caught attempting a double steal, but the damage was already done.
Montesa made the lead stand, striking out 11 over seven innings while allowing just one run. The junior fanned the side in the opening frame and faced the minimum through 3.2 innings, aided by a double play ball and a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out play from catcher Matthew Graveline.
WVU added two more runs in the sixth on Graveline’s sacrifice fly and another RBI single from Schoenfeld. The Owls finally got on the board in the seventh when Jackson Bradfield launched a solo home run to right.
Any momentum was short-lived. The Mountaineers responded with four runs in the eighth, highlighted by RBI doubles from pinch-hitter Ben Lumsden and Schoenfeld. A wild pitch and an RBI single from Matthew Robaugh, the first hit of his collegiate career, pushed the lead to 12-1.
Kennesaw State closed the scoring in the eighth when Jamarie Brooks connected on a three-run homer to left-center, his first of the season. Seven different Owls collected hits in the loss.
The defeat snapped Kennesaw State’s 13-game home winning streak, the longest in the program’s Division I era.
WVU will look to secure the series Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
