West Virginia's lineup was back at full strength on Friday in their series opener against Houston.
The Mountaineers welcomed back Sam White for the first time since March 23rd, while Logan Sauve returned after missing last weekend's doubleheader.
The welcomed sight of two mainstays for West Virginia brought another strong performance, as WVU tallied 15 hits, beating Houston, 9-2 in game one on Friday night, earning their eighth-straight win.
West Virginia got on the board in the second inning, as Chase Swain beat out an infield single to score Brodie Kresser and put the Mountaineers in front 1-0. WVU added runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
In the fourth, West Virginia put four runs on the scoreboard, doing so with two outs. The first two batters of the inning were retired on just four pitches, before a two-out double from Grant Hussey, followed by a triple from Swain, put WVU ahead 2-0. That lead would be added to as Spencer Barnett reached on an error, allowing Swain to score before Kyle West walked to score another later in the inning, while Jace Rinehart singled to add another as West Virginia led 5-0.
Griffin Kirn pitched into the seventh inning last Friday night, striking out 14 in the process. He followed that up with another strong outing, taking care of the Cougars. He threw a scoreless first three innings, before allowing a run in the fourth on a pair of doubles.
Kirn allowed more damage in the fifth as Cade Climie hit a solo home run, and West Virginia led 6-2.
Kirn's day ended at 93 total pitches, throwing 6.0 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits, striking out five along the way.
That was more than enough for WVU's offense, who entered the night second in the Big 12 in runs scored. WVU added to their lead in the sixth on an RBI double from Kyle West, scoring two more in the eighth on a single from Sauve scored by Skylar King, before Gavin Kelly singled to score Sauve.
Following Kirn was Reese Bassinger, who did exactly what was needed of him in the late innings.
Bassinger escaped trouble in the seventh, getting a double play to end the game. He tossed 3.0 innings, holding Houston to no hits and no runs, while he struck out two.
Paul Schmitz got the start for the Cougars on Friday night, but the Mountaineers were able to get to him. He threw 3.2 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, but only two of those runs were earned.
With the win, West Virginia improves to 28-4 and 8-3 in Big 12 play. Because of Kansas' loss to TCU, the Mountaineers move into first place in the Big 12 for the time being. Behind them are Kansas and TCU both at 9-4.
Game two of the three-game series between WVU and Houston is set for Saturday with first pitch at 7:30 p.m.
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