On a sweltering day in Baton Rouge with a heat index topping 103 degrees, things spiraled fast for the No. 24-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. A promising start turned sour, as LSU exploded for 10 runs across the fourth and fifth innings to hand WVU a 16-9 defeat in Game 1 of the Super Regionals.
The loss means West Virginia (44-15) now faces a must-win scenario for the next two games if it hopes to reach the College World Series for the first time in school history.
“We played competitive baseball,” said WVU head coach Steve Sabins. “But it slipped away from us out of the bullpen. We put a lot of pressure on guys who hadn’t been in that moment before.”
The Mountaineers had the early edge. Starting pitcher Griffin Kirn worked through a shaky start and held LSU scoreless through three innings. WVU even took a 1-0 lead on Jace Rinehart’s RBI single in the second.
But cracks in Kirn’s control began to show. He hit a batter in the second, walked the leadoff man in the third, then plunked two more in the fourth. That’s when LSU freshman Derek Curiel made him pay with a three-run homer, igniting a roaring crowd of 12,000-plus at Alex Box Stadium.
“He just wasn’t as sharp,” Sabins said. “Maybe it was the heat, maybe the short rest — he pitched twice last weekend. He did what he could.”
Kirn exited after allowing a leadoff single in the fifth, and things unraveled from there. A trio of Mountaineer relievers — JJ Glasscock, Cole Fehrman, and Tyler Hutson — couldn’t stop the bleeding as LSU tacked on seven runs in the inning. The crushing blow came from Steven Milam, who crushed a grand slam to right field after two walks and a single loaded the bases.
It didn’t stop there. One inning later, Josh Pearson added LSU’s second grand slam of the day, again following a trio of walks.
In total, West Virginia pitchers gave up 13 free bases — eight walks and five hit batters — and LSU turned 10 of those into runs.
Despite the lopsided score, WVU’s offense had its moments. The Mountaineers scored seven runs on nine hits off LSU ace Kade Anderson, a projected top-10 MLB Draft pick. Anderson gave up career highs in both categories.
Skylar King and Chase Swain led a four-run rally in the sixth, and Gavin Kelly blasted a two-run homer in the seventh. Kyle West added a towering two-run shot in the ninth, giving WVU its third straight game with at least nine runs scored.
“Against a guy like that, if he gives you something to hit, you hit it,” said designated hitter Sam White. “We weren’t just trying to foul pitches off.”
Still, the late offense couldn’t mask the damage done earlier. While the final score made the game seem closer, LSU’s mid-game barrage had already put it out of reach.
The good news for West Virginia: this isn’t a regional-style elimination format. It’s a best-of-three series — and WVU has bounced back before. Earlier this season, they dropped Game 1 in series against both BYU and Texas Tech and came back to win the next two.
“They could’ve beat us 40-0, but tomorrow it’s 0-0,” White said. “That’s the beauty of a series.”
Game 2 is set for 6 p.m. Sunday. While starters haven’t been officially announced, it’s expected that WVU will turn to Jack Kartsonas, while LSU will likely go with Anthony Eyanson.
West Virginia’s season isn’t over — but their margin for error is gone.
