West Virginia Baseball Stages Incredible Comeback to Win NCAA Regional

CLEMSON, S.C. — The West Virginia University baseball team pulled off a stunning comeback to win the NCAA tournament’s Clemson Regional final, defeating Kentucky 13-12 on Sunday night.

The game, filled with drama and excitement, lasted 4 hours and 31 minutes and involved 377 pitches. This victory marks the second consecutive year the Mountaineers will advance to a super regional.

The Mountaineers demonstrated their resilience throughout the regional, coming from behind in all three games. They overcame an early 3-0 deficit to beat Kentucky 4-3 on Friday and rallied with four runs in the ninth inning to defeat top-seeded Clemson 9-6 on Saturday.

On Sunday, the scene at Doug Kingsmore Stadium was tense. The Mountaineers fell behind 6-1 but made a dramatic comeback, scoring six runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-6 lead. However, Kentucky responded and led 12-7 heading into the bottom of the eighth. With determination and grit, West Virginia scored six more runs, culminating in a decisive RBI single by Armani Guzman.

Guzman was pivotal in this tournament, stepping in at third base and was named the Outstanding Player of the Clemson Regional. He had an impressive performance, going 4 for 5 in the final game and 8 for 12 over the three games.

“It’s been a long month,” Guzman said after the victory, which saw jubilant celebrations among teammates. “We never give up. We just took that same approach in this game. We’re never out.”

WVU head coach Steve Sabins expressed pride in his team, calling them the most resilient group he’s ever coached. “This team has been doubted this season,” he said. “That was the best three-game set I’ve ever been part of. It was the best television you could ever watch for three straight games.”

The Wildcats, who arrived ready to compete after beating Clemson earlier in the day, could not maintain their momentum. They started with seven errors due to their aggressive style of play.

The Mountaineers set a new single-season win record with their 43rd victory of the year. “We knew this team meant a lot to a lot of people,” Guzman said. “There are 1.8 million people in the state of West Virginia and they are behind us, so we did it for them.”

The comeback inning began with Guzman hitting a single. The Mountaineers were down by five runs with two outs, but they rallied with determined hits and plate discipline, resulting in a series of walks and a final push to score six runs.

WVU finished strong by calling on Game 1 starter Griffin Kirn, who, despite pitching 7 1/3 innings the day before, was ready to close out the game.

“I knew he wanted the ball,” Sabins shared. “We talked and he told me he could throw quality pitches for two innings.”