West Virginia Escapes After Holding a Seven-Run Lead, Take Series

The West Virginia Mountaineers gave up a seven-run lead, but sophomore Gavin Kelly applied pressure in the eighth to lift the Mountaineers (2-0) past the Georgia Southern Eagles Saturday afternoon, 11-10 in the first game of a doubleheader to take the three-game series.

West Virginia jumped out front with a seven-run first inning. Sophomore Gavin Kelly started the inning with a first pitch double to left centerfield and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Then, senior Mathew Graveline brought sophomore Matt Ineich home with a ground ball to short. RBI singles from senior Paul Schoenfield, who later stole home, and senior Ben Lumsden had WVU up five before sophomore Matt Ineich ripped a two-RBI single for the 7-0 advantage.

Georgia Southern got back into the game in the second, placing four runs on the board. After West Virginia senior starting pitcher Maxx Yehl loaded the bases, Redshirt junior Nico Senese hit the ball back to the mound, but an errant throw to first rolled out to right field territory, clearing the bases and sophomore Jack Myers singled to right field for the RBI to pull within three, 7-4.

West Virginia built a six-run cushion in the fourth when Georgia Southern senior transfer Sean Smith went back up the middle for his first RBI as a Mountaineer and Graveline drove a 415 foot two-run home run for a 10-4 lead.

Georgia Southern answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, recing RBI singles from Myers and McCoy.

Freshman John Davis hit his first career home run in the sixth to inch the Eagles closer.

In the seventh, Georgia Southern tied the game after Senese hit a base clearing double hit a base clearing double down the left field line to tie the game at 10.

West Virginia reclaimed the lead in the eighth after Kelly drove his second double of the afternoon, and on the steal of third, the throw drifted to left field as Kelly scampered down the line and crossed home plate for the 11-10 advantage.

Georgia Southern loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, and on a slow grounder up the middle, Ineich charged and fired to first as the Mountaineers hold on 11-10.

West Virginia and Georgia Southern will meet in game two of the doubleheader at approximately 6:45 p.m. EST. The actin will stream on ESPN+.

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