Hall's slam, Smith's homer lead West Virginia past Cal Poly


Tyrus Hall hit a grand slam and Sean Smith added a three-run homer as West Virginia routed Cal Poly 12-2 on Friday at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark in the opening game of the NCAA Morgantown Super Regional.

Hall finished 2-for-3 with five RBIs, while Smith went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored for the Mountaineers. The offensive outburst provided more than enough support for starter Chansen Cole, who delivered a dominant performance. Cole pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters without issuing a walk.

West Virginia's offense was productive throughout the lineup. Brodie Kresser went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Ben Lumsden drove in a pair of runs with a double in the seventh inning. Matthew Graveline went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.

The Mountaineers seized control early. In the bottom of the first inning, Smith launched his three-run home run to left-center field to give West Virginia a 3-0 lead. After Cal Poly got on the board with a solo homer in the fourth, West Virginia broke the game open in the bottom of the frame. A five-run inning was capped by Hall's grand slam to right field, extending the lead to 8-1.

For Cal Poly, Dylan Kordic provided the bulk of the offense, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Alejandro Garza drove in the Mustangs' other run with a single in the seventh. Starter Griffin Naess struggled, surrendering eight earned runs on six hits and three walks in 3⅔ innings.

Up next: The two teams will meet for Game 2 of the super regional Saturday at 12 p.m. ET in Morgantown.

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