No. 23 West Virginia Crushes Kennesaw State, 13-3
West Virginia moved to 3-2 on the season this afternoon with a 13-3 win over Kennesaw State in the first game of the Coastal Carolina University baseball tournament.
The bats were swinging hot early and often for the Mountaineers as they plated six runs in the first three innings which chased Kennesaw State starting pitcher Luke Torbert from the game.
After scoring one run in each of the first two innings, West Virginia put up a crooked number in the bottom of the third due in part to a two-run home run over the right-field wall by first baseman Matt McCormick. Sophomore Dominic Ragazzo reached first on a bunt which scored catcher Vince Ippoliti on a throwing error. Shortstop Mikey Kluska hit a sac fly to left field scoring Ragazzo to make it 6-0 after three innings of play.
Fast-forward to the bottom of the fifth where center fielder Victor Scott hit a two-run bomb, marking his first homer on the campaign. The Mountaineers continued to have success with the long ball as fifth-year senior Kevin Brophy sent one deep to tack onto the lead, making it 9-0.
West Virginia starting pitcher Jackson Wolf notched his 2nd win of the season by pitching a clean seven innings of work, allowing just four hits and striking out four. Although the Mountaineers won comfortably, head coach Randy Mazey can't be too pleased with how the bullpen finished things off in the final two innings as Daniel Ouderkirk and Tim Wynia combined to allow three earned runs on three extra-base hits.
However, West Virginia's bats did not cool off as Braden Barry had an RBI single up the middle, and Kevin Brophy followed that up with an RBI double down the right-field line.
The Mountaineers will be back in action Saturday at 3 p.m. vs Coastal Carolina and will be televised on ESPN+.
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