WVU Baseball Crushes Canisius in High-Octane Home Opener

WVU Baseball began their 2024 home schedule with a bang on Wednesday, crushing the Canisius Golden Griffins 10-3.

Free passes helped the Mountaineers sink Canisius, as West Virginia drew nine walks and two hit batters that directly contributed to seven runs.

Logan Sauve and Sam White walked in the bottom of the first, with Ellis Garcia singling through the left side of the infield to open a 1-0 lead. The Mountaineers followed the same formula in the second, with Reed Chumley and Spencer Barnett drawing free passes before Skylar King singled Chumley home. Sauve walked again to load the bases, but Canisius starter Joe LoPinto induced a double play to limit the damage.

The Golden Griffins tied the game the following inning when first baseman Carlin Dick cracked a home run to right field. Chumley helped the Mountaineers retake the lead in the bottom of the third, hitting a ball to the wall that bounced away from the Canisius center fielder on the way to a two-run, two-out triple.

King and Sauve both drew hit by pitches in the fourth, coming around to score on a single that Ben Lumsden tattooed at 111 miles per hour and a Garcia safety squeeze, respectively. Barnett and King walked the next inning, and this time it was Sauve who scored them with the help of a Golden Griffins error, before White singled him home to make it 9-2.

Head coach Randy Mazey began to rotate in reserves with the game out of reach, and junior outfielder Tyler Cox added to the lead with an RBI single as a result.

WVU Baseball moves to 5-4 on the season. Their season continues with a series at Western Kentucky, beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 1.