Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (February 19, 2019) – A ninth-inning single sent the West Virginia University baseball team to a 5-4, walk-off win over Canisius on Tuesday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.
 
In the first February home game in program history, the Mountaineers (2-2) never trailed, but withstood a pair of rallies by the Golden Griffins (1-3), who tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning and 4-4 in the top of the ninth.
 
Sophomore pinch hitter Tristen Hudson delivered the game-winner with a two-out single into shallow right field, which scored junior pinch runner TJ Lake from second base.
 
The walk-off in the ninth came on two hits, an inning after the Mountaineers took a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning. West Virginia scored two runs on three hits in the final two innings after seven CC pitchers held WVU to three runs on three hits in the first seven innings.
 
"(Canisius) didn't have much of a problem, they had 11 hits when we had three," WVU coach Randy Mazey said of hitting on a colder day. "We did that this weekend, we didn't start the game nearly as good as we finished it. The encouraging part of this game was our at-bats got better when the game was on the line. That's the sign of a winning team when it really counts, the at-bats get good."
 
West Virginia scored its five runs on six hits, and Canisius scored four runs on 11 hits. CC left 13 runners on base, while WVU stranded nine, and the Mountaineers committed one error. West Virginia hitters also drew nine walks in the contest.
 
Prior to Hudson's ninth-inning heroics, junior first baseman Marques Inman homered in the third inning and senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez hit a home run in the fifth. RBI groundouts provided the scoring in the fourth and eighth innings.
 
Freshman left fielder Austin Davis stole four bases, second-most in program history behind Babe Barna's five in 1937.
 
On the mound, junior right-hander Sam Kessler picked up his first win of the season. Six WVU pitchers combined to allow two earned runs with 12 strikeouts in the contest. Junior lefty Nick Snyder made his first career start and did not give up a run on four this with six strikeouts and a walk.
 
The Mountaineers left two runners on in the first inning and left the bases loaded in the second, while Snyder stranded two in both the second and third.
 
Inman's home run to left in the third inning gave WVU a 1-0 lead. It was his second homer in as many games and the 11th of his career.
 
The Golden Griffins left another two on in the fourth, as junior righty Dillon Meadows relieved Snyder and got the final two outs of the frame. In the bottom half, the Mountaineers made it 2-0 on an RBI groundout by senior right fielder Darius Hill. That scored freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker, who led off the inning with a walk.
 
A leadoff walk and back-to-back doubles cut West Virginia's lead in half in the fifth, but freshman right-hander Gabe Kurtzhals got a big strikeout to end the inning and leave the bases loaded. Gonzalez got the run back in the bottom of the inning though, with his first home run of the season and seventh of his career.
 
Canisius tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth, as a throwing error put the leadoff man on and RBI singles plated two unearned runs.
 
Junior center fielder Brandon White put West Virginia back ahead in the eighth, 4-3, on a perfectly-placed squeeze bunt that scored Davis.
 
However, the Golden Griffins tied it at 4-4 in the top of the ninth on a leadoff triple and wild pitch before Hudson delivered the game winner in the bottom half.
 
Inman drew a one-out walk and took second on a single by sophomore designated hitter Paul McIntosh. Lake then pinch ran for Inman, and scored from second on Hudson's single, beating the throw from CC's right fielder.
 
The Mountaineers return to the Peach State next weekend for a three-game set at Georgia Southern, from Feb. 22-24. The series in Statesboro, Georgia, begins on Friday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. ET. First pitch at J.I. Clements Stadium on Saturday is set for 3 p.m., while the series concludes at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.
 
Notes: West Virginia improves to 2-2 on the season and 1-0 at home … The contest is the first home game played in February in program history, and bests the previous mark for earliest home game of March 5, 2008 … Austin Davis' four stolen bases are the second-most in program history, behind Babe Barna's five against St. Vincent on May 22, 1937 … Marques Inman hit his second home run of the season and team-high-tying 11th of his career … Ivan Gonzalez hit his first home run of the season and seventh of his career … Nick Snyder made his first career start and gave up no runs on four hits with six strikeouts … Sam Kessler picked up the win, his first of the season.
 
Season tickets, single game tickets and mini-packages for the 2019 season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and support the Mountaineers by purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU GAME or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.