West Virginia Outslugs Charlotte in Game One

The Mountaineers bats come alive to take down the 49ers in the series opener

Charlotte - West Virginia starting pitcher Aidan Major struck out nine and the Mountaineers (3-2) produced 12 runs on 14 hits to take game one from the Charlotte 49ers (2-3) Friday evening 12-8. 

West Virginia produced two-runs in the first after junior Brodie Kresser led the game off, beating the throw from third for an infield single. Sophomore Sam White reached after he was beaned on his first pitch of the evening. Sophomore Ellis Garcia worked a full count two out walk and junior Grant Hussey doubled into rightfield to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 advantage. 

Charlotte junior Thad Ector hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first to cut the lead in half, 2-1. 

The Mountaineers tacked on a run in the second when senior Reed Chumley hit a leadoff single into shallow centerfield, then with one out, Kresser hit the into gap in left-centerfield, scoring Chumley for a 3-1 West Virginia lead. 

West Virginia put up four runs in the fourth. Kyle West received a leadoff walk, bunted a single and an errant throw placed the runners at second and third before Kresser hit a sacrifice ground ball to short, scoring West. King stole third while Logan Sauve walked to, again, place runners at the corners. Then, Sam White singled through the right side for the RBI and Benjamin Lumsden delivered a two-RBI double for a 7-1 lead. 

In the seventh, Lumsden doubled into right-center, Ellis Garcia singled with a high fly ball in the hole in right field. Next, Grant Hussey received a walk to load the bases before Kyle West smacked a sacrifice RBI ground ball to third. Then, with two outs, Skylar King hit a three-run home run off the scoreboard in right field to extend the lead 11-2. 

Charlotte closed the gap in the seventh and eighth innings with Brandon Stahlman hitting a three-run home run and in the eighth, Juan Correa ripped an RBI double, and Thad Ector hit a RBI single and a wild pitch scored another run as the 49ers cut the lead to three, 11-8.

Hussey added a run with a solo home run in the ninth to push the lead back to four as Maxx Yiehl gets the save in two innings of work, recording two strikeouts and holding of the Niners for a 12-8 decision. 

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