MORGANTOWN — Caden Kaiser’s single in the 11th inning Wednesday handed Marshall its first win against West Virginia since 2021.
The Thundering Herd first baseman, a transfer from Ohio State, smacked a ground ball up the middle off WVU reliever Chase Meyer that scored Jack Firestone to give Marshall a thrilling 3-2 victory inside Jack Cook Field.
Kaiser immediately ran out to right field for the celebration after the winning run scored, where he was mobbed by his teammates.
And just like that the Mountaineers’ eight-game winning streak against their intrastate rival was over.
WVU had already pocketed two wins against the Thundering Herd (12-19) this season by a combined 26-2 score.
It was much different this time around, as WVU (19-13) and the Herd played through a light rain that helped keep offensive at a minimum.
WVU first got on the board in the second inning, when Grant Hussey blasted a solo home run to left field.
It was Hussey’s eighth home run of the season and the 33rd of his career. The Parkersburg native is now just three home runs shy of setting a career school home run record.
That was it until the sixth inning, when Marshall tied the game with Tre Hondras’ two-out double that scored Elijah Vogelsong.
WVU bounced back in the seventh when Logan Sauve singled home Armani Guzman for a
2-1 lead.
That’s when things took a sour turn for the Mountaineers.
In the ninth inning, Marshall’s Cam Harthan scored from second base on a throwing error by Hussey, who was attempting to end the inning with a double-play attempt.
Instead, his throw to second base was low and wide and scooted out to left field, which allowed Harthan to score and send the game to extra innings.
WVU missed an opportunity in the top of the 11th, when Hussey and Brodie Kresser walked to open the inning.
But then both runners were picked off on the same play, with Hussey getting caught in a rundown on a pickoff move at second base and then Kresser was thrown out at first base by Marshall third baseman A.J. Havrilla.
Marshall won the game with a two-out rally. Firestone walked to get it going and then advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Calin Smith then reached on an infield single, which set the stage for Kaiser, who was 3 for 6 in the game.
Meyer took the loss for WVU, which saw its four-game winning streak end after sweeping a series at Kansas last weekend.
A collection of five Marshall pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts, while allowing just six hits.
The Mountaineers return to Morgantown to host No. 17 UCF in a three-game series that begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
