West Virginia hit the road for their first Big 12 series of the year on Friday in Manhattan, Kansas. Facing Kansas State, the Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as West Virginia starter Ben Hampton surrendered a pair of home runs.
That would be the most trouble West Virginia (20-6, 1-0 Big 12) would face all night long. Caleb McNeely answered with a home run in the second to put the Mountaineers on the board. His bat would help fuel the Mountaineers, becoming the first West Virginia hitter to hit for the cycle since 2014, as the Mountaineers opened conference play with a 8-3 win over Kansas State.
Kansas State would only threaten the Mountaineers once more following their power surge in the first inning. After the first inning, West Virginia’s pitching of Hampton and Carlson Reed allowed a combined one run on three hits, while striking out 12 Wildcat hitters, before Noah Short came and shut the door to record the final out of the game.
West Virginia tied the game at 2-2 in the second inning, after McNeely’s home run along with a Grant Hussey double. Both McNeely and Hussey would not be done, with McNeely singling and doubling to plate two more runs in the third and fifth innings.
Leading 5-2, JJ Wetherholt — who is the first player in the country to record 50 hits this year — hit a two-run home run to put the Mountaineers in command, 7-2. Hussey added another home run in the eighth inning, while McNeely completed the cycle in the ninth, hitting a triple to left.
Kansas State had one more chance to get back into the game in the bottom of the eighth. The Wildcats loaded the bases against Reed, but he would get out of the jam striking out Roberto Pena on three pitches to get out of the jam.
Hampton (2-0) settled in following the shaky first inning. He threw 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, while tying his career-high in strikeouts with 10, on 121 pitches. Reed would pick up where Hampton left off, pitching 2.0 innings, and gave up one hit and struck out three.
Offensively, Wetherholt recorded three hits, and two RBI, and McNeely finished the day going 4-for-5 with three RBI, and one run scored.
West Virginia is the second Big 12 team to reach 20 wins this season (Oklahoma State), and now face Kansas State in game two tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 p.m.
