WVU baseball defeated UCF late Thursday night to improve to 35-5 (14-3 in the Big 12) on the season. Despite being outhit 9-1, the West Virginia pitching and smart decision-making allowed them to walk away with the 4-1 victory.
Griffin Kirn got things going for the Mountaineer pitching staff. He finished with 4.2 innings pitched and only one run allowed. He has been the day 1 starter for the Mountaineers since the beginning of the season, and it has proved to be the right decision for head coach Steve Sabins.
West Virginia got the scoring started in the top of the fifth inning. Spencer Barnett flew out into a double play, but with no outs, Grant Hussey was able to tag and score, putting the Mountaineers up 1-0.
UCF responded in the bottom of the fifth when DeAmez Ross singled into center field, tying the game at 1-1. With runners in scoring position almost every inning, this was the only time in the game the Knights were able to capitalize.
WVU scored again at the top of the seventh inning with another RBI flyout by Brodie Kresser. Armani Guzman was able to tag and score, putting the Mountaineers up 2-1.
West Virginia was able to build upon their lead with a Sam White flyout in the top of the eighth inning. Later in the inning, Jace Rinehart grounded into shortstop for the second out, but Skylar King was able to blitz home to take the 4-1 lead.
After both Chase Meyer and Carson Estridge pitched scoreless innings, the Mountaineers won without a single RBI hit. Four RBI sacrifices were enough to defeat the Knights’ high-powered offense. It shows that this WVU team can find ways to win no matter the circumstances. Their ability to close games has led to the best winning percentage in the entire country to this point in the season.
The Mountaineers will face UCF in the second game of the series tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. ET, streaming live on ESPN+.
