Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
LAWRENCE, Kan. – History came easy for No. 15 West Virginia on Sunday as the Mountaineers rolled to a 13-2, eight-inning win over No. 7 Kansas at Hoglund Ballpark, completing a statement-making series sweep and securing the program’s first-ever road sweep of a top-25 opponent.
Sean Smith went 3-for-5 for WVU (35-12, 19-8 Big 12) and fell a double shy of the cycle. Paul Schoenfeld and Tyrus Hall each contributed two hits and three RBI, while Brodie Kresser added two RBI of his own.
The sweep marks just the second time the Mountaineers have swept a ranked opponent, joining a 2024 series against No. 17 UCF.
Schoenfeld, Smith, Matthew Graveline, Armani Guzman, and Gavin Kelly each crossed the plate twice in the lopsided victory.
On the mound, graduate student Reese Bassinger (2-2) delivered a dominant relief performance, entering in the fourth inning and tossing 5.0 scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits while striking out four to earn the win and close out the game.
Mathis Nayral took the loss for the Jayhawks (37-15, 20-7). He went 4 2/3 innings and surrendered three runs on seven hits.
The Mountaineers struck first in the opening inning on an RBI single from Kresser, but Kansas briefly responded with a two-run home run from Tyson Owens in the second to take its only lead of the entire series. That advantage was short-lived, as Smith launched a two-run homer in the third to put WVU back on top for good.
The game broke wide open in the sixth inning when the Mountaineers plated six runs. With the bases loaded, Hall was hit by a pitch to force in a run before Matt Ineich added another with a groundout. After an intentional walk to Kelly, Schoenfeld delivered the decisive blow with a three-run double. Smith followed with an RBI single to cap the inning.
WVU continued to pile on late, adding two runs in the seventh on a Hall double and two more in the eighth behind a Smith triple and a sacrifice fly from Kresser.
Bassinger sealed the victory in the eighth inning, striking out the final batter to secure the run-rule win and complete the sweep.
The Mountaineers return home to close out the regular season with a three-game series against TCU. First pitch for Thursday’s opener is set for 6:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
