The West Virginia University baseball team defeated Houston 7-1 on April 18 to even their series at Kendrick Family Ballpark. The Mountaineers, ranked No. 15, improved their record to 26-9 overall and 11-6 in the Big 12 Conference, while the Cougars dropped to 17-20 and 4-13 in conference play.
This win was important for West Virginia as it allowed them to bounce back after a previous loss in the series and maintain a strong position within the conference standings.
After starting pitcher Maxx Yehl left during the third inning, graduate student Ian Korn pitched five innings allowing only one run and striking out four batters. Graduate student Reese Bassinger closed out the game with two perfect innings. On offense, junior Armani Guzman collected two hits, scored twice, and stole two bases. Senior Paul Schoenfeld stole three bases and scored two runs, while graduate student Brodie Kresser and senior Matthew Graveline each contributed two runs batted in.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning when Guzman stole second base, then third base, before scoring on a squeeze bunt by Graveline. In the sixth inning, Guzman laid down a bunt that allowed Schoenfeld to score with two outs. Graveline added another run with a single before senior Brock Wills drove in another run for West Virginia.
Houston threatened in the seventh inning with runners on first and third with no outs but managed only one run after Korn induced a double play. The Mountaineers responded by scoring three more runs in their half of the seventh inning as graduate student Sean Smith hit an RBI single followed by Kresser’s two-run single.
West Virginia will attempt to secure a series win against Houston on Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
