West Virginia Bounces Back with Series Finale win Over Kansas

Morgantown, WV - After dropping the first two games of the series by a combined score of 15-10, the No. 19 West Virginia Mountaineers (23-9, 3-3) bounced back with an emphatic 12-3 win over the Kansas Jayhawks (15-5. 5-4) Sunday afternoon.

West Virginia freshman Robby Porco collected his fourth win of the season after tossing six inning and recording a career high 12 strikeouts while Landon Wallace blasted two home runs.

West Virginia committed three consecutive errors in the first inning which allowed a Kansas runner to cross home plate for the early 1-0 Jayhawk lead.

The Mountaineers answered in the bottom of the inning with the help of Jayhawks starting pitcher Ethan Bradford. Sophomore J.J. Wetherholt hit a leadoff single back up the middle before Bradford hit consecutive batters and walked-back-to-back Mountaineers to give West Virginia the 2-1 lead.

Sophomore Grant Hussey slapped an RBI single, prompting Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald called in the righty Hunter Cashero from the bullpen.

Cashero hit the first batter he faced to bring in another Mountaineer run, then Tevin Tucker hit a fielder's choice to cap off a five-run first and West Virginia held a 5-1 advantage after one.

In the top of the third inning, senior Cole Elvis hit a solo home run, his third in the series, to close the gap to three.

West Virginia added two runs in the fourth when Landon Wallace went to the opposite field for a solo home run and Braden Barry one-hopped an RBI double off the left field wall for a 7-2 lead.

Wallace tacked on a run with a second home run of the afternoon and Hussey lifted his seventh home run in the seventh as the Mountaineers extended their lead to seven, 9-2.

Junior Janson Reeder hit a solo home run in the eighth off freshman WVU reliever Carson Estridge to put the score at 9-3.

West Virginia added three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, receiving a sacrifice RBI ground ball from Landon Wallace and Caleb McNeely and Braden Barry blasted consecutive RBI doubles for a 12-3 advantage.

Estridge closed out the game in the ninth as the Mountaineers salvaged the series with a dominating 12-3 decision.

West Virginia will travel to State College to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions Tuesday evening with the first pitch set for 5:00.

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