WVU Baseball Takes No-Hitter Into Eighth, Drops Houston 7-3

WVU Baseball claimed their home series against Houston on Sunday, April 19, winning 7-3 behind a strong start from Chansen Cole and home runs from Brodie Kresser and Matt Graveline.

The Mountaineers (27-9, 12-6 Big 12) carried a no-hitter into the eighth and, although their bullpen ran into trouble late, they still managed to coast to victory. West Virginia scored the first seven runs, getting started in the first inning with a double steal from Tyrus Hall and Paul Schoenfeld.

They continued to cause trouble on the base paths in the second inning: Armani Guzman hit a leadoff double, then drew a pickoff throw that trickled into center field, allowing him to score from second. That chased Houston starter Connor Udland, who left early with an injury against BYU last week, from the game. Errors continued to plague the Cougars in the fourth, allowing Guzman to add another run, then Kresser and Graveline cleared the fences in the fifth and sixth innings; an RBI single from Sean Smith pushed the lead to 7-0.

Cole, meanwhile, allowed just two walks: while he sat at just 68 pitches after five innings, manager Steve Sabins gave him the hook instead of giving the top of the Cougars’ order another crack at him.

Carson Estridge (1.2 innings) and Bryson Thacker (0.1 innings) took over from there, carrying the no-hit bid through the seventh, but David Perez allowed a first-pitch double to begin the eighth that ended the chance at history. Houston went on to score three runs in the inning and put two aboard in the ninth, but Reese Bassinger slammed the door with a strikeout.

WVU Baseball will return to action at home on Tuesday, April 21, hosting Pitt in the Backyard Brawl.