West Virginia baseball continued its winning ways Saturday night, using its signature formula of explosive offense and timely relief pitching to outlast Houston 9-8 at Schroeder Park. With the victory, the Mountaineers not only secured the series win but also extended their winning streak to nine games and held on to the top spot in the Big 12 standings at 9-3.
As they’ve done all season, the Mountaineers came alive at the plate after a shaky start from right-hander Gavin Van Kempen. The Cougars jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but WVU wasted no time responding. Grant Hussey brought in one run with a groundout, and freshman Gavin Kelly followed with a two-run double to tie the game at 3-3 in the second.
Van Kempen, however, struggled to find his rhythm and exited the game after 2.2 innings, his shortest outing of the season. He allowed four runs on five hits before giving way to the bullpen.
Chase Swain gave West Virginia the lead in the third with a two-run triple—his second of the season—scoring Sam White and Kyle West. Houston pulled one back in the bottom of the third, but WVU’s offense wasn’t done. In the fourth, West laced a two-run double, and Kelly and Skylar King each drove in a run to give the Mountaineers a 9-4 lead by the fifth.
Houston narrowed the margin in the bottom half of the fifth when Ben Hudson gave up a three-run homer to Malachi Lott, bringing the Cougars within two.
Needing a shutdown inning, WVU turned to sophomore Chase Meyer out of the bullpen. Meyer struck out the side on just 14 pitches in the sixth, but his command unraveled in the seventh. He walked four batters, all with two outs, allowing Houston to inch closer at 9-8. Head coach Steve Sabins then handed the ball to Carson Estridge, who got the final out of the inning and remained in the game.
Estridge delivered when it mattered most. In the eighth, he worked around a walk and gave up a single that nearly tied the game. But a quick relay from Brodie Kresser to Hussey to catcher Kelly cut down the runner at home, preserving the slim lead.
Estridge closed the door in the ninth with a perfect 1-2-3 inning, finishing with 2.1 scoreless innings, one strikeout, and just one hit allowed. The steady performance earned him his second save of the season.
The Mountaineers will now look to complete the sweep on Sunday, with first pitch set for 12:30 p.m. ET.
