Mountaineers Erupt Late, Power Past No. 22 Arizona State to Claim Series Victory

The No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers (19-5, 7-2) produced nine runs on 17 hits in a series deciding game three with a 9-5 win in Tempe (AZ) over the 22nd ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (20-8, 5-4) Sunday night.

Landon Hairston drove a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning, his fourth of the series, to give the Sun Devils the early edge.

West Virginia starting pitcher Chansen Cole settled in on the mound and held one of the Big 12 best offenses to four hits heading into the sixth inning. The sophomore gave up a single and issued a walk with one out to put two aboard before WVU head coach Steve Sabins opted for David Perez, and the freshman got out of the jam unscathed.

In the sixth, the Mountaineers took a commanding lead when junior Tyrus Hall and sophomore Matt Ineich opened the frame with back-to-back singles and senior Paul Schoenfeld loaded the bases, working a one-out walk. Then, senior Sean Smith lifted the 2-2 breaking ball over the right centerfield wall for an opposite field grand slam and a 4-1 advantage.

West Virginia added a run in the seventh after junior Armani Guzman received a leadoff walk, and with one out, sophomore Matt Ineich lined a single to right centerfield as Guzman raced around second and third to beat the throw and slid home safely for the 5-1 lead.

In the bottom of the inning and with two outs, junior PJ Moutzouridis worked a walk before Dean Toigo chopped a ground ball into right centerfield and sprinted to second for an RBI double.

West Virginia Matthew Graveline lined the 1-2 pitch down the left field line and into the corner for a double. The senior advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Guzman, then with the count sitting at 1-1 and as senior reliever Sean Fitzpatrick settled to deliver the pitch, Graveline scurried home and the throw went off the glove of redshirt sophomore Brody Briggs for a 6-2 WVU lead.

The Mountaineers added three insurance runs in the ninth. Ineich led the inning off with a walk, sophomore Gavin Kelly reached with a single through the right side of the infield before Schoenfeld ripped an RBI double down the right field line. Then, senior Brock Wills dropped a two-RBI single to right field for the 9-2 advantage.

Perez gave up singles to Briggs and Hairston in the bottom of the frame. Then, with two outs, Toigo slapped a three-run home run. After a brief mound visit, Perez got out of the inning on a grounder to short as the Mountaineers clinch the series with a 9-5 decision.

West Virginia is back in action Tuesday night as the Mountaineers will remain in the desert and travel to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats for a midweek matchup. The first pitch is set for 9:00 p.m. EST. Although the contest is between two Big 12 programs, the game will not count towards the league standings.