After taking game one on Thursday by one run and game two on Friday by two runs, No. 24 West Virginia was dominant on Saturday, beating Cincinnati 10-5 to sweep the three-game series and extend WVU's winning streak to 14 games, and their Big 12 winning streak to 11 games.
The Mountaineers got going in the fourth inning offensively, and then another strong start from Jack Kartsonas pushed the Mountaineers to the win.
West Virginia's offense, which came into the weekend top 20 nationally in terms of runs scored, had been somewhat held down over the first two games of the season. It seemed to be that way, too, on Saturday, until the bats got going in the fourth.
The inning started with Logan Sauve ripping a double, before Kyle West singled to put runners on the corners. Sam White drove Sauve in on a single before he and West scored on a double from Chase Swain.
Swain would stand on second and Grant Hussey on first after a walk, and then the Bearcats attempted a pickoff move, but no one covered the second base bag as the ball went into center field, putting runners on second and third. That allowed a groundout from Spencer Barnett to plate Swain, putting West Virginia ahead 4-1.
WVU doubled their run total in the fifth inning, as Sauve was brought in on a single from Jace Rinehart. White then singled, before Swain doubled again to score Rinehart. Barnett then knocked home two more on a single as West Virginia led 8-1.
Jack Kartsonas got his second start of the season on Saturday and while it was not as impressive as his eight shutout innings he threw last weekend, it was close to it.
Kartsonas allowed just one run on the afternoon as he pitched 6.0 innings, and struck out seven, allowing only one hit and walking three. Kartsonas only ran into any serious trouble in the third inning as he allowed a run after an error allowed a runner to reach to extend the inning.
The Bearcats added four runs in the eighth inning, as Mac Stiffler and Ben McDougal allowed the damage on the mound for the Mountaineers. Stiffler did not record an out, walking two batters, while McDougal allowed two runs on three hits.
West Virginia turned to Tyler Hutson to get out of the jam in the eighth, before he stayed in the game to get the final three outs in the ninth inning.
WVU's final two runs came in the sixth and seventh innings as Logan Sauve homered, before Brodie Kresser reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Hussey to score.
Eight of the nine West Virginia starters recorded a hit on the afternoon, while five of those eight recorded more than one hit on the day. West Virginia's offense totaled 13 hits, while they worked five walks as well.
The win keeps West Virginia in first place in the Big 12, and they have now swept three Big 12 series in a row and won four straight Big 12 series.
Swain finished the game going 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs, while Barnett posted the game line, two hits and three runs batted in.
West Virginia now hits the road this upcoming week, going to Penn State on Tuesday, before facing UCF for three games in Orlando next weekend.
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