In JJ Wetherholt’s long-awaited return and a high-scoring affair with six lead changes, West Virginia took game one of a three-game series against Kansas 11-10.
Wetherholt would reach base four times going 3-4, with two singles, a double and a walk. He scored a run and drove in two runs including the go-ahead and eventual winning run in the top of the ninth.
WVU picked up 17 hits on their way to victory, with every batter in their lineup recording at least one hit. Grant Hussey, Kyle West and Spencer Barnett all had two RBIs along with Wetherholt, with Barnett also having three hits.
A six-run seventh inning would give the Mountaineers a 9-7 lead late, after being down four. Kansas responded in the bottom of the eighth scoring three to retake the lead. WVU would take the lead right back in the top of the ninth scoring two.
To open the game, Wetherholt hit a single in his first at-bat since returning from injury. Nothing would come of the leadoff single as the next batter Logan Sauve struck out and Sam White hit into a fielder’s choice, with Kansas getting the force at second sending Wetherholt back to the dugout before Reed Chumley flew out to right to end the inning.
In the second inning, West would get the Mountaineers on the board with a solo home run, his fifth of the year. Kansas was quick to respond, however, with Lenny Ashby hitting a solo shot of his own.
The Jayhawks would take the lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI single off the bat of Ben Hartl. WVU starter Aidan Major struggled with control in the bottom of the fourth, walking three straight batters to load the bases, which Kansas took advantage of by hitting a sacrifice fly to score a run and increase their lead to two heading into the fifth.
The Mountaineers had a two-out rally in the top of the fifth, beginning with Wetherholt walking, followed by three straight hits by Sauve, White and Chumley, scoring two runs and tying the game at three. Major continued to struggle in the bottom half of the frame, hitting a batter then walking the next before the Jayhawks would re-take the lead on an RBI groundout and single, making the game 5-3.
Maxx Yehl came on to pitch in the sixth for West Virginia where he was immediately greeted with a double and walked the next batter, before getting a strikeout for the first out. Kansas’ Jake English would hit a two-RBI double to grow their lead to four, 7-3. Yehl would get out of the inning, but the damage was already done as the Mountaineers would have just nine outs to erase the deficit heading into the seventh.
With a new arm on the bump for the Jayhawks, WVU opened up the seventh with back-to-back singles by Sauve and White, with Reed Chumley walking to load the bases. Hussey hit a double to score two and then West hit a single to score another, with no outs in the inning. With just one out in the inning and the bases loaded, Barnett hit a two-RBI single to give West Virginia the lead. They weren’t done though, as Wetherholt hit a SAC Fly and an RBI to give them insurance and a 9-7 lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the eight, English would pick up his fourth RBI of the day on a two-run homer off of David Hagaman to tie the game at nine for Kansas. Hagaman would walk the next batter and then Michael Brooks hit an RBI single to give the Jayhawks the lead late.
Brodie Kresser would keep WVU alive homering in the top of the ninth of of Kansas’ closer Hunter Cranton. Barnett would single with two outs, being pinch-ran for by Armani Guzman, who swiped second before being driven in by an RBI double off the bat of Wetherholt to give West Virginia the lead. The Mountaineers led 11-10 heading into the bottom of the ninth, looking to close the game out.
Hagaman would stay on the mound for the ninth, walking the first batter and potential tying run. He struck out the next batter and then allowed an infield single where he was then replaced by Hambleton Oliver. Oliver struck out the first batter he faced and got the next one to ground out, successfully closing out an 11-10 win for West Virginia.
WVU improves to 17-12 on the season and a 6-4 record in conference play, while Kansas drops to 15-12, 7-6 in Big 12 play. First pitch for Saturday’s game is set for 3 p.m. EST with the contest being streamed to ESPN+.
