West Virginia (9-9) fell in Sunday's series finale to Canisius (11-6) by a score of 4-3 at the Monongalia County Ballpark.
Despite the loss, the Mountaineers still won the series by defeating the Golden Griffins on Friday and Saturday, earning their third straight weekend series win.
West Virginia struggled in all phases during Sunday’s series finale as the team used different seven pitchers and left eight total runners on base.
Sophomore first baseman Marques Inman finished the game 2-for-4 with one RBI and sophomore right-handed pitcher Kade Strowd, who made his fourth start of the season Sunday, went 2.1 innings with two earned runs and two strikeouts.
After holding the Golden Griffins scoreless in the top half of the first inning, West Virginia struck first after Inman doubled down the left field line which scored third baseman Andrew Zitel all the way from first.
Despite getting his second strikeout of the game in the second inning, Strowd walked two batters in the process, but got out of the inning with a double play as West Virginia maintained its 1-0 lead.
Designated hitter Isaiah Kearns led off the bottom half of the second inning with a single and later stole second for his second stolen base of the season, but was stranded after Canisius left-handed pitcher J.P. Stevenson retired West Virginia infielders Kyle Gray and Jimmy Galusky.
Canisius then tied the game up at one in the third inning after Strowd walked three straight batters which later resulted in a sacrifice fly.
Junior right-handed pitcher Christian Young relieved Strowd after 2.1 innings as the sophomore finished the day with two strikeouts and allowed one run on one hit to along with five walks. Young faced just two batters and allowed the go-ahead run after a wild pitch.
Senior right-handed pitcher Shane Ennis relieved Young with the bases loaded and got West Virginia out of the inning with a double play.
The Mountaineers were then retired in order to cap off the third inning and Canisius extended its lead to 4-1 with a two-run RBI single from Canice Ejoh makes it 4-1 in favor of Canisius with one out in the fourth.
After allowing one run in just one inning pitched, Ennis was replaced by Kearns on the mound with runners on first and second. Kearns retired two straight batters to end the inning as West Virginia trailed by three runs entering the bottom of the fourth.
West Virginia continued to struggle offensively in the middle of the game as the Mountaineers racked up just two hits in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings combined.
The team continued to dig into its bullpen as redshirt sophomore right-hander Dillon Meadows and freshman right-hander Tristen Hudson each saw the mound after Kearns pitched one inning with one strikeout and three walks.
West Virginia cut Canisius’ lead down to two runs with a sacrifice fly from Gray, which scored Kearns who led off the inning with a triple. A bunt from Galusky and single from left fielder Braden Zarbnisky then gave the Mountaineers runners on first and second.
Galusky then stole third and Zarbnisky advanced to second, but the runners were stranded after center fielder Brandon White lined out to center field.
Zarbnisky came in and relieved Hudson in the ninth inning, but time ran out for West Virginia in the end as the Mountaineers' late ninth inning rally fell short.
The Mountaineers will next face La Salle at home this Tuesday at 3 p.m.
