West Virginia University baseball defeated Binghamton University 10-1 in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament Morgantown Regional at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Friday.
The Mountaineers, seeded 16th nationally, improved to 40-14. Binghamton fell to 31-21 in the double-elimination format.
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Binghamton struck first in the second inning. Zach Kent doubled and scored on a fielder's choice by Zachary Anderson.
West Virginia answered in the fourth inning.
Matthew Graveline hit a two-run home run, and Ben Lumsden followed with a three-run homer to give the Mountaineers a 5-1 lead.
The Mountaineers extended their advantage in the sixth inning. Gavin Kelly delivered a two-RBI double, and Armani Guzman added a three-RBI double.
West Virginia starter Chansen Cole earned the win, improving to 9-1. He allowed four hits over seven innings.
Binghamton starter Conner Griffin took the loss, falling to 3-4.
David Hagen threw the final two innings for West Virginia, recording his first save of the season.
Coach and Player Reactions
West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins praised Lumsden's perseverance. Lumsden entered the game with a .
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212 batting average over 10 prior starts.
"You don't accidentally hit a three-run homer in a regional game," Sabins said. He emphasized that Lumsden's success resulted from consistent development throughout the regular season.
Lumsden said he approaches every at-bat the same way. "Every at-bat's the same, whether it's June or September," he said.
He added that his preparation remains unchanged regardless of his role.
Cole attributed his success to executing low strikes and relying on his defense. "I'm my best whenever I'm throwing strikes at the bottom of the zone," he said.
Binghamton head coach Tom Sinicki commended Cole's poise. "He knew what his strengths are, pitched to them, and never deviated," Sinicki said.
He noted that West Virginia capitalized on Binghamton's mistakes.
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The double-elimination regional continues Saturday and Sunday at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
