West Virginia Advances to the Tucson Regional Finals

Tucson, AZ – The West Virgnia Mountaineers (35-22) advanced to the Tucson Regional finals with a 5-2 win over the Grand Canyon Antelopes (35-24) Saturday night.

West Virginia starting pitcher Tyler Switalski tossed a career-high 7.2 innings and allowed just one run with three strikeouts for his fifth win of the season, while junior Brodie Kresser led the Mountaineers with three RBI on two hits.

Grand Canyon took the lead in top of the second inning after redshirt junior slapped a single through the left side, then senior Elijah Buries dropped a one out single on a soft line drive over second base to place runners at the corners before redshirt senior Eddy Pelc delivered an RBI sacrifice fly to left field for a 1-0 advantage.

West Virginia tied the game in the bottom of the frame when Reed Chumley squeezed a groundball by the first baseman for a single and stole second before junior Grant Hussey moved him to third with a ground ball to second. Then, with two outs, Brodie Kresser singled back up the middle for an RBI and tied the game at one.

In the fourth and with one out and the bases loaded, Kresser hit hard groundball through the left side for a two-RBI single. Sophomore Benjamin Lumsden smacked a ground ball that hopped over the head of second baseman Elijah Buries for an RBI and sophomore Skylar King capped off a four run fourth inning with a ground ball to third for a 5-1 WVU lead.

Switalski’s night ended in the eighth with two outs and two on. Head coach Randy Mazey called in senior Hambleton Oliver, and on the 0-1 pitch, WAC Player of the Year Tyler Wilson gave it a ride to the warning track but stayed in the park as right fielder Benjamin Lumsden hauled it in for the final out to maintain the 5-1 lead.

Oliver took the mound in the ninth and senior Cade Verdusco hit a leadoff single back up the middle followed by a ground ball that bounced over the head of first baseman Grant Hussey York. Then with one out, senior Dustin Crenshaw delivered the RBI single.

Next, Michael Diaz singled to right field to load the bases, but Pelc hit a shallow fly ball to short for the second out of the inning.

Randy Mazey called out to his bullpen for sophomore Carson Estridge and on the first pitch, Marcus Galvan groundball to short as the Mountaineers held on for the 5-2 decision.

West Virginia will take on the winner of Dallas Baptist and Grand Canyon Sunday night at 9:00 EST.

Dallas Baptist and Grand Canyon meet at 3:00 p.m. EST.