The West Virginia University baseball team lost its series opener to Arizona State University, 14-4 in eight innings, on March 27 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Mountaineers are now 17-5 overall and hold a record of 5-2 in the Big 12 Conference, while the Sun Devils improved to 20-6 and also stand at 5-2 in conference play.
This matchup featured strong offense from both teams early on. West Virginia collected a total of 13 hits during the game. Graduate student Sean Smith led with three hits, while sophomore Gavin Kelly, graduate student Brodie Kresser, and senior Paul Schoenfeld each added two hits. Kelly also contributed two runs batted in.
The Mountaineers took an early lead after Matt Ineich walked and scored on a double by Kelly just two batters into the game. Arizona State responded immediately with a leadoff home run from Landon Hairston. In the second inning, Smith drove in another run for West Virginia before junior Dawson Montesa pitched two scoreless innings.
Arizona State took control of the game starting in the fourth inning with a home run by Nu’u Contrades and then expanded their lead after Hairston hit his fourth grand slam of the season following a bases-loaded walk. Despite efforts from Kresser and Kelly to close the gap with additional runs for West Virginia, Arizona State continued scoring throughout the fifth and sixth innings.
The Sun Devils ultimately ended the game via run-rule after adding another run in the eighth inning. The Mountaineers will try to recover when they face Arizona State again on Saturday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
