WVU Baseball Walks Off Columbia With Brodie Kresser Grand Slam

WVU Baseball dodged another upset against Columbia on Saturday, March 7, walking off the Lions in ten innings on a Brodie Kresser grand slam.

Left fielder Matthew Graveline ensured the Mountaineers (9-3) made it to extra innings, robbing a two-run home run with a leaping catch at the wall. West Virginia scored two runs thanks to Armani Guzman in the fourth inning, the junior utility player notching an RBI single before stealing second, distracting the Lions’ battery and allowing Sean Smith to dart home.

Gavin Kelly let off the fifth with a double, then scored with the aid of an error. After working through traffic for the first five innings, Mountaineers’ starter Chansen Cole ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing a single and a walk before an RBI double chased him from the game.

Guzman committed a fielding error that extended the rally and allowed another run to cross, and reliever Bryson Thacker allowed a sacrifice fly RBI and a bases loaded walk as Columbia surged in front.

West Virginia tied the game in the seventh with the help of another error, then went ahead on a Brock Wills single. The Lions managed an RBI double in the eighth, but shortstop Matt Ineich mowed down the go-ahead run with a relay to the plate that ended the inning.

Brodie Kesser swings at a pitch against UNC on June 7, 2024 at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. in the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals. (WVSN photo by Mitchell Northam)

WVU Baseball will attempt to take their series with the Lions at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 8.