Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Chansen Cole set the tone with five hitless innings as No. 15 West Virginia powered past Houston 7–3 on Sunday at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
Sean Smith, Brodie Kresser, Armani Guzman and Matthew Graveline each had two hits for the Mountaineers (27-9, 12-6 Big 12).
Cole improved to 6-1, striking out five. The bullpen combined for four innings of two-hit relief work while giving up one unearned run.
Connor Udland (2-3) suffered the loss for the Cougars (17-21, 4-14), giving up two runs on one hit in just one inning of work.
WVU struck early, scoring a run in the first and second innings. Tyrus Hall and Paul Schoenfeld pulled off a first-and-third double steal. Then Guzman scored from second on a failed pickoff attempt in the second.
In the fourth inning, Graveline reached on Antonelli Savattere’s fielding error, allowing Guzman to score from second for a 3-0 lead.
Kresser blasted a two-run home run in the fifth, extending the lead to 5-0. In the sixth, Graveline hit a solo shot before Sean Smith singled to deep left field later in the inning, pushing the lead to 7-0.
In the eighth, Kresser’s fielding blunder allowed Houston to score two runs. Cade Climie’s sacrifice fly cut Houston’s deficit to 7-3. Reese Bassinger pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the win.
WVU travels north to Pitt on Tuesday for the Backyard Brawl. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
