WVU Baseball Steals Win Over Marshall in Thrilling 9th Inning

WVU Baseball stole their way to a 5-4 win over in-state rival Marshall on Tuesday, April 15, with Chase Swain swiping home plate with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to cap the comeback victory.

Swain walked on a payoff pitch to lead off the ninth, taking second on a bunt before stealing third. With Gavin Kelly facing a 2-2 count, Swain surged toward home plate as Marshall pitcher Tim Baird began his unorthodox windup, sliding in safely before catcher Nolan Wilson could apply a tag.

🚨 CHASE SWAIN STEAL OF HOME FOR THE LEAD IN THE NINTH INNING 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L0Xr7MBcgJ

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) April 16, 2025

The win marks the 11th in a row for West Virginia (31-4, 10-3 Big 12). The Mountaineers took an early 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI double from Grant Hussey, then saw their bats fall silent through the middle innings as Marshall plated four in a row: two via bunt in the home half of the second, then the Thundering Herd showed off their clutch hitting with two-out RBI in the fourth and fifth innings.

Mountaineers Come All the Way Back

Kyle West doubled to lead off the sixth, taking third base on a sacrifice fly, but the Mountaineers couldn’t advance him the final 90 feet. Eventually, he tried to take matters into his own hands, charging towards home plate, but got caught in a rundown to end the frame.

Swain singled to open the seventh, scoring on a Brodie Kresser single. Kresser swiped second, then tore home on another single, this one from Kelly. Carson Estridge took over with one out in the eighth after Mac Stiffler allowed a double and a walk. While Estridge issued another free pass, he managed to draw a lazy pop fly and a ground ball to keep the game tied.

After Swain gave the Mountaineers the lead, Estridge struck out the side in the ninth to preserve the win.

Up next, WVU Baseball will host Cincinnati for a three game series beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17.

For a related story, Steve Sabins gave his thoughts on national rankings.