A trip to Omaha for the Men’s College World Series.
Chansen Cole got the start for West Virginia, and the right-hander turned in a dazzling day on the bump. The tall righty went seven full innings, allowing just two runs and spreading out eight hits over those seven innings, keeping the Mustangs’ lineup off balance with a heavy dose of breaking balls.
Cole also notched a career-high 11 strikeouts.
West Virginia got on the board in the bottom of the first, with Monday night’s hero Amani Guzman getting things started with a hustle double on the first pitch he saw to lead off the inning. A walk a few batters later saw Sean Smith come to the plate with a pair of runners on, and the DH then sent a blast to left-center for a three-run shot, staking the Mountaineers to an early 3-0 lead:
While those three runs would prove to be sufficient, thanks to the dazzling display from Cole, the West Virginia offense was not done. Tyrus Hall, the No. 9 hitter in the Mountaineers’ lineup, cleared the bases with this oppo shot in the bottom of the fourth:
That big blast had the capacity crowd in full voice, including West Virginia alum Pat McAfee from his seat behind home plate:
The Mountaineers tacked on three runs in the seventh and another in the eighth as they pulled away from the Mustangs.
But the big story was Cole, who threw 121 pitches over those seven innings, 83 of those for strikes. The righty worked quickly, kept the ball around the strike zone, and showed impressive command of his off-speed stuff, including a tight slider and a tough changeup. After giving up a double to start the second, Cole settled in to strike out the side. He then struck out the side in the third, and got all three outs via the strikeout in the fourth.
Here’s a look at the final pitch of the fourth, another one of his impressive breaking balls:
The two teams will meet again tomorrow, with West Virginia booking a spot in Omaha with a win.
Should Cal Poly take Game 2, the teams will play against Sunday to determine the winner of the best-of-three series.
