West Virginia opens home slate in style beating Canisius 10-3
West Virginia opened the home slate in style knocking off Canisius 10-3 Wednesday afternoon inside Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The 2024 home opener was played after a 30-minute delay due to heavy rainfall throughout the day in the area. JJ Wetherholt did not play due to a hamstring injury.
Right hander Gavin Van Kempen was called on to start for the Mountaineers and pitched four innings giving up two runs on just two hits, along with four strikeouts. The rest of the relief staff combined to allow just one run and two hits across five innings although they did walk six along with hitting a pair of batters.
After a shaky first inning where Van Kempen hit a batter and walked another, he was able to get out unscathed. In the home half of the inning, the Mountaineers would get runners on first and second after a pair of walks and Ellis Garcia would single home a run with a hit to give an early 1-0 edge after the end of the first inning.
After a scoreless top half of the second, West Virginia would tack on another run off a single by Skylar King following a pair of walks but a double-play would end the inning leaving the Mountaineers advantage at 2-0 through two.
Canisius would respond in their half of the third after Van Kempen would allow a leadoff walk and then record two outs before serving up a two-run shot to right field to Carlin Dick to tie the game at 2-2. West Virginia would respond with a two-out, two-run triple by Reed Chumley that bounced off the centerfield wall to retake a 4-2 edge.
After a three-up, three-down inning by Van Kempen in the fourth the Mountaineers would tack on two more runs. First after a pair of hit by pitches and a sacrifice, a sharply hit single by Benjamin Lumsden would drive home a run and then a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Garcia would tack on another to push the edge out to 6-2 through four.
Left hander Maxx Yehl would come on to pitch the fifth for West Virginia and was able to get out of the inning without any damage despite walking a pair. The Mountaineers would then tack on three more runs with two coming on a fielding error in right field with the ball getting caught in the wind and then a single by Sam White to make it 9-2.
Right hander Chase Meyer would be called upon to pitch the sixth and while he permitted a walk did not give up any runs. Grant Hussey would lead off with a double in the bottom half but was left stranded by the Mountaineers to close the inning.
After allowing just one hit, Meyer would again keep Canisius off the scoreboard in the top half of the seventh to head into the stretch. The Mountaineers would then tack on their tenth run of the game on a single by Tyler Cox after Aaron Jamison walked to get on base and give them a commanding lead heading into the eighth frame.
The right handed Aidan Smith would come on to pitch the eighth for the Mountaineers and was able to get out of the inning scoreless despite walking a batter and hitting another. In the bottom half of the inning, Chumley would reach base due to an error but West Virginia would be retired without adding to the 10-2 lead.
Bryce Amos, a right hander, would be called upon to close things out for the Mountaineers and he was able to do so despite allowing a run on a wild pitch.
West Virginia moves to 5-4 on the season and will next head to Western Kentucky for a four game series beginning Friday, a double-header Saturday and closing Sunday.
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