KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – The West Virginia University baseball team remained perfect this season with a 7-1 victory over Queens (N.C.), Friday evening at Atrium Health Ballpark. The Mountaineers improve to 9-0 while the Royals fall to 2-7.
 
The start to the season matches the 1959 campaign for the fourth best in program history. It is the best since starting 18-0 in 1964.
 
Senior Griffin Kirn had his best outing of the season as he went 8.0 innings with 10 strikeouts and zero walks while allowing just one unearned run. He threw 96 pitches, 72 of which were strikes.
 
At the plate, senior Brodie Kresser reached base five times, which included two doubles, and drove in two runs. He also added a run scored and a stolen base. Junior Sam White added three hits while junior Logan Sauve drove in two runs.
 
Queens took an early lead with a run in the first. Kirn settled in after that, at one point retiring 14 straight hitters that came to the plate.
 
The Mountaineers scored two runs in the fifth to take the lead. Sophomore Armani Guzman hit a sacrifice fly to score junior Skylar King, who had to evade the tag at the plate, before Kresser had his first RBI double of the night.
 
In the seventh, Kresser had his second run-scoring double before coming around to score himself on a single by Sauve. Two more runs in the eighth and one in the ninth provided extra insurance for the Mountaineers.
 
Kirn was cruising at that point and ended his night with three strikeouts in the eighth. Freshman Benjamin Hudson closed out the game with a scoreless ninth.
 
The two teams will meet back at Atrium Health Ballpark on Saturday with first pitch set for 2 p.m.
 
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