MORGANTOWN — Grant Hussey had three hits, including one of West Virginia’s three home runs on Sunday, as the No. 24 Mountaineers powered past Kansas State 10-6 inside Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.
The Mountaineers (21-7, 2-1 Big 12) took two out of the three games to win their first conference series of the season.
Hussey, who entered the series with a .204 batting average, launched a two-run blast off the scoreboard in right field in the second inning to give the Mountaineers an early 3-0 lead.
Kansas State (19-11, 5-4) came right back, though, scoring four of its runs in the bottom of the second off WVU starter Grant Siegel.
Cash Rugley had an RBI single and Roberto Pena followed with a three-run home run. Pena added a two-run home run in the ninth for the final score.
Braden Barry gave WVU the lead for good with a two-run homer in the third that also scored J.J. Wetherholt.
Hussey added a double in the fourth inning and a single in the eighth. He finished the three-game series with five hits, two home runs and four RBIs.
Barry also had an RBI single in the ninth to give him three RBIs in the game and Wetherholt drove in a run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly.
Landon Wallace added two more RBIs in the ninth with a bases-loaded single for the Mountaineers.
Wetherholt finished 2 for 4 with a double and a single to give him his 17th multi-hit game of the season. He’s the leading hitter in the Big 12 with a .462 batting average.
Both teams combined for 15 home runs over the three games.
All the offense made it tough for the pitchers, and WVU manager Randy Mazey elected to use five of them Sunday.
Freshman Robby Porco (3-1) earned the win in relief of Siegel. He pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowed two hits and no runs.
WVU returns home and will play rival Marshall at 6 p.m. Wednesday at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston before hosting Kansas for a three-game series that begins Friday at Mon County Ballpark.
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