GRANVILLE, W.Va. — Second-year West Virginia baseball coach Steve Sabins can’t script starts.
If Sabins were afforded the chance to do so, however, it would almost certainly resemble how the first inning played out Friday when the Mountaineers welcomed Cal Poly for Game 1 of the Super Regional series.
WVU starting pitcher Chansen Cole kept the Mustangs off the scoreboard during an efficient 12-pitch frame, and three of West Virginia’s first four batters reached base, including a three-run home run from Sean Smith that set the tone in a 12-2 victory before 4,564 at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
“The team and staff is so focused,” Sabins said. “We know what we’re here to do. We’re just trying to find ways to stay concentrated and win the next one.”
Cole provided the Mountaineers (44-15) with the strong start they’ve come to expect from the transfer from Division II Newberry College. He limited the Mustangs (39-23) to two runs on eight hits and recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts over seven innings. The even-keeled Cole threw a first-pitch strike to 19 of 30 batters and 83 of 121 pitches were strikes as he improved to 10-1 this season.
“I’ve been told my whole life I’m a pretty boring person,” Cole said. “It’s just trusting the routine you have and all the preparation and work you’ve done.”
Across three appearances and two starts in the NCAA Tournament, Cole has thrown 14.2 innings, whole allowing three runs on 13 hits with 23 strikeouts and two walks, both of which came in Monday’s relief appearance against Kentucky while throwing on short rest.
“Boring in the most beautiful way,” Sabins said. “Shoving all season, collecting wins and sending us to Super Regionals — that’s not boring.”
The strong start helped add to an already frenzied environment and Cole went on to strike out the side in the second and third innings, the latter of which he faced three batters in.
“Guys were grounded for the most part. You don’t go up 3-0 unless you are grounded,” Sabins said.
Cole’s bid for a shutout stopped when Dylan Kordic hit a solo home run to start the fourth, allowing Cal Poly to pull to within two. The Mustangs left runners at the corners in that inning, and when they next came to bat in the fifth, the contest had largely gotten away from the visitors.
Six of the first seven West Virginia batters, including five straight, reached to start the home half of the fourth. That stretch included a run-scoring single from Brodie Kresser, and after Ben Lumsden followed by working a walk to load the bases, Tyrus Hall hit a grand slam to right that left Cal Poly with a seven-run deficit.
“Coming up in that scenario, the first thing is I hear all the fans,” Hall said. “Having that support is actually crazy. It was great to have it. It was a 2-0 count, and I was looking dead red for a pitch to drive.”
Cal Poly starting pitcher Griffin Naess was lifted after allowing eight runs on six hits with three walks over 3.2 innings. Naess had not allowed more than five runs in any outing this season before Friday, which he entered with a team-high 87.2 innings pitched.
“They had three innings with at least three runs. You have to keep them to one, so you’re in the game and can shorten the game, and try to figure out how to win in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings,” Cal Poly coach Larry Lee said.
WVU failed to add to its lead in the fifth despite loading the bases with no outs, but Cole struck out the first two batters while retiring the side in the sixth.
The Mustangs connected for three singles over four at bats in the seventh and scored their second run on one from Alejandro Garza, though Cole retired Kordic for the first time over his first three plate appearances to end that inning with WVU up six.
“Chansen Cole does what he does. He’s everything that WVU is about, and it was on full display after heroic performances last weekend,” Sabins said. “He’s consistent.”
Lee felt Cole was a strong matchup for what his team aspires to do offensively.
“He just mixes. He’s a solid college pitcher. Not high velocity,” Lee said. “He lived down in the zone. All the scouting and video we looked at, that’s who he was. He’s looking for weak contact or opponents to chase out of the zone. His pitches were good. Guys like that win. Looking at him on video, I thought we might have some issues and troubles just knowing our hitters and how they would respond to that. He had to give us more opportunities with pitches up in the zone for us to do more.”
The Mountaineers produced their second three-run frame in the home half of the seventh as Lumsden drove in two with a bases loaded double and Hall followed with a fly ball to shallow right that was caught in foul territory, but enough to plate Kresser from third.
Kresser worked a bases loaded walk in the eighth for what proved to be the final run.
West Virginia has 58 runs across over NCAA Tournament games, including at least six in every contest.
Of the Mountaineers’ 14 hits, seven went for extra bases.
“The biggest piece of hitting without a doubt is confidence,” Sabins said.
Reese Bassinger and Carson Estridge each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
Fresh off their first victory in a Super Regional, the Mountaineers need one more win for a new single season program mark for victories, as well as one to secure their first appearance in the College World Series.
West Virginia looks to finish off the Super Regional at noon Saturday.
Sabins said he had not yet settled on a Game 2 pitching plan, though every healthy pitcher on the staff figures to be available with the exception of Cole.
“Usually my theory is go win the game in front of you. We have enough quality pitching and depth to not save guys,” Sabins said. “I’m all about attack the day in front of you.”
