1,457 days separated May 26, 2021, and Thursday, the time between West Virginia’s last two wins in the Big 12 Tournament.
The Mountaineers came alive offensively in the fourth inning and did not look back as top-seeded WVU beat No. 8 Cincinnati 10-3 from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Griffin Kirn threw a complete game for the first time this season, tossing 129 pitches and holding Cincinnati to eight hits while he had nine strikeouts.
West Virginia’s recent struggles at the plate seemed to be carrying over early on against the Bearcats as they couldn’t get to UC starter Carson Marsh.
That all changed in the fourth inning as Kyle West hit a 401-foot home run, a 112 MPH blast to right field, tying the game at 1-1. From that point on, the floodgates opened for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia loaded the bases before Spencer Barnett and Grant Hussey traded infield singles as WVU led 3-1. Brodie Kresser then added another run on a sac-fly to center, before West walked, plating another run, putting the Mountaineers in front 5-3.
Griffin Kirn got the start on the mound for West Virginia, and he was ace material. Kirn gave up a run in the first two batters of the game on a walk and a double, allowing two more in the fifth. He would then put things into cruise control as the next three innings he allowed two hits, and struck out two.
During WVU’s sweep against Kansas this past weekend, the Mountaineers totaled five runs and were shut out twice. They scored five runs in the fourth inning, before adding five more between the sixth and seventh innings.
In the sixth, two walks led to an RBI single from Brodie Kresser, before two great at-bats from the middle of WVU’s lineup added another run. Jace Rinehart and Sam White both were down 0-2 with two outs on base, and they saw 16 combined pitches, as White scored two on a single, putting the Mountaineers in front 10-3.
That is where the game would finish as Kirn finished off the Bearcats in the ninth.
West Virginia’s offense finished with just eight hits, but they were 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position. The Mountaineers also worked eight walks on the day.
This is WVU's first win in the Big 12 Tournament since the 2021 season, as they were 0-6 in their last three seasons during Big 12 Tournament games.
West Virginia now advances to the Big 12 Semifinals on Friday with first pitch set for 5:00 p.m. against No. 4-seeded Arizona.
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