West Virginia Hammers Queens (NC) to Complete Series Sweep

CHARLOTTE – West Virginia (12-0) closed out the four-game series against the Queens Royals (2-10) Monday afternoon with a resounding 17-3 mercy-rule decision.

On the day, 11 West Virginia batters registered a hit with 10 Mountaineers recording at least one RBI.

West Virginia grabbed a commanding 9-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back.

Chase Swain swatted a game-high four hits with two RBIs. The redshirt junior started his afternoon collecting a pair of hits and RBIs in the second inning. He drove an RBI double into the gap of left-centerfield, then later in the inning, lined an RBI single to left field.

Gavin Kelly had three hits with three RBI. The freshman notched two of his RBI in the second inning with a flare to centerfield, and his third RBI came in the with a line drive single in the third.

Senior Jace Rinehart and sophomore Spencer Barnett both hit home runs in the fifth. Jace Rinehart ripped a two-run blast and Barnett lifted a three-run home run to cap a five-run fifth inning.

David Hagen picked up his first win of the season. The freshman right-hander got the start and went two innings and a strikeout.

Six Mountaineer relievers took the mound on Monday. Junior righty took the mound in the sixth after making the start on Saturday, while graduate senior Jack Kartsonas finished the game in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts.

West Virginia is back in action on Friday in the first of a three-game series against Kennesaw State. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.