Over their last two games, West Virginia has had two ninth-inning leads slowly dwindle away, including allowing six runs against Kansas State in the bottom of the ninth on Friday.
On Saturday, things looked ready to spiral again early on, but WVU righted the ship, as they were able to bounce back in a major way to beat KSU 10-3, evening the three-game series at 1-1.
Kyle West hit a grand slam with two outs in the fourth inning, while Ben McDougal was marvelous out of the bullpen for the Mountaineers, helping WVU pick up win No. 40 on the season. With the win, the Mountaineers tie the program record for wins in a season with the 1994 and 2023 teams. West Virginia also moves one win away from clinching the Big 12 regular season title.
Chase Meyer would make his third start of the season for WVU, but his first weekend start. Meyer would struggle early on, as his command wavered, and K-State took advantage. Meyer combined to throw 51 pitches in each of the first two innings, as KSU scored three total runs in the first two innings.
Meyer allowed a walk to the second batter of the game, before Keegan O’Connor continued to torch the Mountaineers, driving in a run on a single up the middle. In the second, Meyer allowed two more runs, but was lucky that was all KSU got against him.
Meyer went walk, strikeout, walk, single, hit-by-pitch, walk, as Kansas State added two to their total, while they still had bases loaded and one out. Meyer would get a gift, though, as he needed one pitch after the bases-loaded walk to get out of the inning on a groundball to Brodie Kresser at shortstop, as he would turn a double play himself, holding KSU’s lead to just 3-2.
West Virginia’s offense got going in the second inning as a pair of singles from Jace Rinehart and Chase Swain ultimately came around to score. Rinehart scored on a groundout, while Swain scored on a wild pitch.
The Mountaineers then put up a crooked number in the fourth inning, scoring six runs all with two outs.
Rinehart doubled to get the inning going, before Grant Hussey was hit by a pitch with two outs. Gavin Kelly delivered an RBI single, followed by Brodie Kresser delivering an RBI single, as WVU took a 4-3 lead. Skylar King was then also hit with a pitch, setting up West Virginia with the bases loaded.
The Mountaineers took full advantage of their opportunity with the bases loaded as Kyle West hit a 401-foot grand slam on a 3-2 count, blowing the game open as WVU led 8-3.
Despite battling through the first two innings, Meyer started to settle into the game as it went on. He gave up one hit in the third and then no hits in the fourth, as he kept the Wildcats scoreless. Meyer pitched into the fifth, finishing the game with 4.1 innings pitched, allowing three runs on three hits, while walking six and striking out four on 93 total pitches.
Following Meyer was Ben McDougal, who has had his recent struggles. McDougal did not record an out in either of his previous two appearances, but was called on as West Virginia led 8-3, facing the heart of the Kansas State lineup. McDougal would strikeout O’Connor, before getting a groundout to end the inning, settling him in to continue to pitch.
McDougal pitched a scoreless sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, as his calming presence out of the bullpen was much-needed for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia’s offense would continue to tack on runs in the sixth, as Rinehart doubled to score two runs, helping him get to 50 total RBIs on the season.
McDougal stayed in the game in the ninth, and it marked his longest outing as a Mountaineer by far. McDougal finished the game tossing 4.2 innings on 58 pitches, striking out two hitters, while allowing no runs and one hit, getting his first win of the season as well.
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