WVU Baseball Pummels Wildcats, Claims Series Behind Cole’s Complete Game

WVU Baseball took the game and their series with the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday, May 2, winning 9-1 behind triples from Armani Guzman and Brodie Kresser and a three-run homer from Sean Smith.

The Mountaineers (30-12, 15-8 Big 12) also benefitted from a complete game out of Chansen Cole, who fanned nine batters and allowed just one run, a sixth inning homer with West Virginia well on the way to victory. Cole threw 120 pitches and induced three double plays, limiting the damage from the five hits he allowed.

West Virginia loaded the bases with no outs in the second but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. They broke through the following frame with a solo homer from Gavin Kelly and a two-run triple from Guzman. The Mountaineers tacked on two more runs in the fourth, Brock Wills scoring on a sacrifice fly after hitting a leadoff double; Kelly went on to score with the aid of a Wildcats’ error.

Kresser tripled in the fifth for another run, then Kansas State broke the ice in the sixth with a solo shot. Kelly and Paul Schoenfeld singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning, setting up Smith’s homer to blow the game open. Cole allowed two singles to begin the seventh but wriggled out of the jam with a double play ball; he went on to strike out four batters in the final two innings, ending his day on a high note.

WVU Baseball will attempt to sweep their series with the Wildcats beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 3.