GRANVILLE — After a rough stretch last week where No. 18 West Virginia went 1-3 across four games, the Mountaineers needed a strong series against Kansas State to realign their season. They responded by claiming the first two games against the Wildcats, marking their first series win since mid-March against BYU.
WVU pitcher Chansen Cole delivered a complete-game effort, leading his team to a 9-1 victory in Game 2 and steering the season back in a positive direction. The Mountaineers now have a chance to complete the sweep on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. WVU hasn’t swept an opponent since taking the first two games from BYU earlier in the season.
The win gave WVU its 30th victory of the year, improving to 30-12 overall and 15-8 in Big 12 play. Kansas State fell to 26-21 and 9-14 in conference action.
“Fun game today,” head coach Steve Sabins said. “Really good for the team. We’ve got a chance to sweep a talented Kansas State squad. That’s obviously the goal… After going 1-2 last week, if you can come back and sweep, you just keep winning.”
For the second straight week, Cole got the start in Game 2. While Maxx Yehl’s performance on Friday was tough to beat, Cole raised the bar, showing strong command from the outset. He racked up strikeouts and induced soft contact. At times, Kansas State hit the ball hard, but often right at defenders, and Cole kept dealing.
“I felt better as the game went on,” Cole said. “My body and my arm they felt fine.”
Cole’s only mistake came in the sixth inning, when he surrendered a solo home run to deep left field just the second hit he allowed all day. He shook it off and kept rolling.
“It’s one of those moments where you live and learn,” Cole said. “What pitch you threw, how you reacted, what the hitter did. Just don’t do it again.”
Cole pitched into the ninth and finished with a season-high nine strikeouts, walking just one batter, allowing five hits, and giving up only that one run. He tossed 120 pitches in WVU’s first complete game of the season.
“Incredible performance by Chansen Cole,” Sabins said. “One of the best I’ve seen in a long time.”
The Division II transfer also benefited from stellar defense behind him. Paul Schoenfeld made a diving catch in center field, Graveline doubled up a runner from left, and Tyrus Hall stretched to nab a runner in the later innings.
On offense, WVU carried over momentum from Friday’s 7-0 win. The bats came alive in the third inning, when Gavin Kelly lifted a high fly ball to right that just cleared the fence for his seventh home run of the season, putting the Mountaineers on the board. That homer sparked a three-run frame. Later in the inning, Armani Guzman tripled to bring home Sean Smith and Matthew Graveline, making it 3-0 after three.
“Off the bat, I thought I missed it,” Kelly said. “But I hit it well and spotted it well.”
WVU added two more runs in the fourth, mixing small ball with clutch hitting with runners in scoring position. Through four innings, the Mountaineers had eight hits and a 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Smith crushed a no-doubt home run to right field, traveling 353 feet, pushing the lead to 9-1.
WVU finished with 15 hits, and every starter recorded at least one. Five batters had two hits apiece, Smith led with three RBIs, and Guzman paced the team with three hits and two RBIs.
“Really good offensive performance,” Sabins said. “So many players played well and had good at-bats… I was proud of how we approached things.”
Kansas State’s defense also aided WVU’s cause, committing three errors more than the number of runs they scored.
Through two games, WVU has used only three pitchers. Dawson Montesa is scheduled to start Game 3 as the Mountaineers go for the sweep. Montesa has struggled in his last two outings.
Even after winning the first two games something they hadn’t done in a while there’s still pressure to finish the sweep, which remains the weekly goal.
“We’re going for the sweep,” Kelly said. “That’s all. It doesn’t really matter if we win the first two. We want three every weekend.”
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