GRANVILLE — West Virginia baseball has had multiple comebacks this season. The Mountaineers erased a massive deficit against UCF during the regular season, and Brodie Kresser hit a walk-off grand slam way early in the season against Columbia, to name a few. It’s hard to count out WVU, even after the Mountaineers are down a couple or six, like Saturday night.
But, at some point, the comeback magic doesn’t go your way or bounce your way, causing Kresser to fumble the ball on a potential double play to start the game, and you come up short. No. 1-seeded WVU had two comebacks in its second game of the Morgantown Regional, but couldn’t get a third to beat No. 3-seeded Kentucky, who took the game 11-9 and advanced to the regional final Sunday.
“For our team to bounce back and be able to tie that game and come back, just showed real resiliency,” head coach Steve Sabins said. “These guys just keep playing, man. They just keep playing. Couldn’t be more impressed with the grit and resiliency that the team showed.”
WVU now has to win three straight games, including back-to-back on Sunday, May 31, if it wants to advance to the Super Regional. The Mountaineers face 2-seeded Wake Forest at noon in an elimination game, while Kentucky awaits the winner at 5 p.m. on Sunday, having a game to spare.
In the top of the eighth, with the game tied 8-8, Kentucky singled with bases loaded twice, scoring three and retaking the lead. WVU trailed 11-8 and had three outs to tie the game for the third time.
Matthew Graveline beat out a throw to reach first, and Armani Guzman walked. Kresser, the tying run, came up to the plate and grounded into a double play, bringing WVU to its last out. The magic was there for a second when Ben Lumsden reached on an error, scoring Graveline to make it 11-9. But the game ended on a Zahir Barjam flyout.
Kentucky won another back-and-forth game for the second straight day. The Wildcats had a come-from-behind victory against Wake Forest on Friday.
“Both teams just competeing their hearts out,” Kentucky’s head coach Nick Mingione said. “Throwing punches back and forth the entire game. We go up 6-0, and here they come, storm right back.”
Despite the loss, the Mountaineers gave it their all. After two innings, WVU faced a 6-0 deficit. The team turned to its best hitter all season, Gavin Kelly, to start the rally for the Mountaineers. He hit a two-run home run in the top of the third, making it 6-2. It wasn’t enough to come close, but it was a spark and a much-needed answer after giving up six in the first two innings.
WVU scored three in the fourth inning. Tyrus Hall had an RBI double and later scored on a balk. Kentucky had some pitching issues and hit a batter to score another. Just like that, the Mountaineers were one run behind, 6-5. Amarni Guzman walked and used his speed to work his way around the bases in the fifth. He stole third, and Kentucky had an overthrow on the play, allowing Guzman to score, tying the game. The Mountaineers scored six unanswered runs over the span of three innings.
“Excited about how the offense has shown up for this regional,” Sabins said. “They’ve been tremendous. We had guys in big moments answer the call. I couldn’t be more proud of that.”
Kentucky jumped back out in front in the fifth, 8-6. Kelly, once again, started the second rally and hit a second homer for a solo shot. Hall doubled in the next inning to tie it once again. Kelly had three RBIs from his homers, and Hall was 2-for-3 and had two RBIs. WVU had nine hits in the game.
“Past couple of at-bats, in games prior, wasn’t really seeing the ball great,” Kelly said. “Wasn’t on time. Those two felt good, seeing the ball well, just trying to help the team win.
But it wasn’t just the offense that made the game competitive. The bullpen really stepped up after a disaster start from ace Maxx Yehl, who Sabins saved for Saturday to hopefully secure a win.
From the first batter, the big lefty looked out of sorts. After a long at bat, he walked the first batter, and then plunked the third batter. With Yehl worried about Kentucky stealing, the Wildcats singled, scoring two. The next batter, Ethan Hindle, smashed a homer 417 feet to make it 4-0. Hindle led the team with three RBIs.
Yehl stayed out. He threw three straight balls and then hit the batter. Yehl motioned to Sabins, signaling that he was injured. Sabins took out Yehl and brought in Ian Korn on short notice. WVU’s ace and Big 12 Pitcher of the Year pitched two outs in the game before leaving with an injury, and Kentucky took a 4-0 lead.
“Maxx left the game with an injury,” Sabins said. “Don’t know what that is exactly.”
In one of the toughest spots, Korn ended the inning. He allowed two more in the second inning, but then steadied the ship, allowing for the offense to mount a big comeback. Korn went three innings and two outs before he was taken out in the bottom of the fifth.
“[Korn]’s been great in all different kinds of roles,” Sabins said. “Really impressive with what he did. In that moment, you’re down six, it’s the biggest game of the season, and you get called into the game. Maxx’s shortest outing was probably five innings this whole year, so as a bullpen arm, you’re not expecting that… Korn to be able to step into that role and really stabilize the game for us to come scoring back was pretty impressive.”
Kentucky had bases loaded with an out, and Sabins called in Reese Bassinger to do what Korn did in the first. Bassinger struck out the first, but let up a double to the second batter, scoring two, making it 8-6. Bassinger closed out the inning and went three innings. Ben McDougal finished up the game.
WVU’s pitching wasn’t perfect. The Mountaineers plunked six batters, let up 12 hits and had 11 runs scored on them. Hindle, Luke Lawrence and Jayce Tharnish all had two hits.
WVU fielding wasn’t the best either. Kresser had two errors at second base.
“We weren’t really clean on defense,” Sabins said. “We gave away a ton of free bases. Just really didn’t play a really good ball game. Obviously, the intensity was there, but overall a sloppy game.”
WVU faces Wake Forest to keep the season alive on short rest. The Demon Deacons blew out Binghamton to stay alive earlier in the day.
The Mountaineers exhausted a lot of its pitching today, using Korn, who’s become the third starting option, so it might have to turn to starter Dawson Montesa against Wake Forest. Then, who pitches later in the day after that? Sabins has to go to the drawing board.
If WVU wants to get back to a super regional, it’ll need to figure something out. With the loss, the Mountaineers have created a long road ahead, having to win three straight games.
“We’ve got to win three now,” Sabins said. “Not the result that we want, but just got to get ready to go play a ball game tomorrow.”
