MORGANTOWN — Kansas State, courtesy of a grand slam from Seth Dardar, put a hold on No. 13 West Virginia’s run for a Big 12 title on Sunday.
The Wildcats (30-21, 16-11 Big 12) put up seven runs in the eighth inning – four coming on Dardar’s blast – for a 14-9 victory inside Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.
Arizona State also beat Houston 13-1, keeping the Mountaineers’ magic number at one for an outright conference title.
What that means is WVU (40-10, 19-6) will enter next weekend’s three-game series, at Kendrick Family Ballpark, against Kansas needing one win in the three games or one loss by Arizona State – the Sun Devils travel to Oklahoma State – to win its second Big 12 championship.
Game 1 against Kansas is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
If that scenario sounds familiar, it is. WVU faced the exact same scenario in 2023, needing one win in its final Big 12 series of the season to secure the title. Instead, Texas ended up sweeping the Mountaineers in the final weekend, forcing a three-way tie for the Big 12 championship.
There can be no tie this time, because WVU has played two less conference games than Arizona State, courtesy of having two games against Oklahoma State canceled by wildfires at the start of conference play. In that scenario, it comes down to winning percentage, meaning WVU will either finish first or second in league play by the end of the regular season.
Arizona State would need to sweep Oklahoma State and WVU would need to be swept by the Jayhawks in order for WVU to fall down to second place.
With the loss, WVU lost a Big 12 series for just the second time this season. The Mountaineers have lost five of their last eight games, not the trend they want heading into the season finale.
WVU was two innings away from winning the Big 12 title outright on Sunday, holding a slim 8-7 advantage after seven innings, but K-State demolished those plans by getting hot in the eighth.
Sam Flores was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and Maximus Martin doubled.
A.J. Evasco singled home Flores to tie the game and Bear Madliak singled home Martin to give Kansas State a 9-8 lead. David Bishop sacrificed both runners over with a bunt and then Shintaro Inoue walked to load the bases.
Dee Kennedy singled to score Evasco and then Dardar sealed it with a 359-foot blast to left field.
Five of the runs were charged against WVU reliever Carson Estridge, but it was Reese Bassinger who took his first loss of the season. He started the eighth and was the pitcher who hit Flores and gave up the double to Martin.
Overall, it was a back-and-forth game with four lead changes and 29 combined hits by both teams.
WVU starter Jack Karstonas, with an opportunity to take over the Big 12’s lead in ERA, lasted just four innings and gave up eight hits and four runs. WVU reliever Tyler Hutson didn’t record an out in the fifth, as K-State scored three runs to take a 7-3 lead.
WVU came back to take the 8-7 lead in the seventh inning after Sam White belted a three-run home run that sailed 364 feet to right field. White and teammate Chase Swain each had three RBIs for the Mountaineers. Logan Sauve drove in two with a double in the third inning that gave WVU a 3-0 lead.
The Mountaineers did have a short rally in the ninth. Swain doubled down the right field line to score Jace Rineart, but then Grant Hussey, Gavin Kelly and Brodie Kresser all struck out to end the game.
Saturday’s game
West Virginia 10, Kansas State 3
Kyle West’s grand slam in the fourth inning broke open a close game and the Mountaineers finally held onto a ninth-inning lead to win its 40th game of the season.
WVU (40-9, 19-5) tied a program record with the victory and got through a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth to hand Kansas State (29-21, 15-11) just its third loss inside Tointon Family Stadium this season.
WVU also won 40 games in 2023 and 1994.
The ninth inning had been a disaster for the Mountaineers in their previous two games. WVU gave up a four-run lead and lost 10-9 against Pitt on Tuesday and then gave up a five-run lead and lost 8-7 in the first game of the series with the Wildcats on Friday night.
This one was different just as soon as West connected against K-State reliever Adam Arther and sent the baseball flying 401 feet for a grand slam that gave WVU an 8-3 lead.
Jace Rineart added two more runs in the sixth inning when his double scored teammates Sam White and Logan Sauve for the final score.
WVU reliever Ben McDougal, a former Bridgeport standout, earned his first win of the season in a relief effort. McDougal pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and no runs. He struck out two and walked one.
Rineart finished 3 for 4 with two doubles. West’s home run was his eighth of the season, tying him with Rineart for the team lead.
