GCU baseball falls to West Virginia, to play elimination game vs. Dallas Baptist

TUSCON, Ariz. (AP) — Brodie Kresser went 2 for 3 with three RBIs — including a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth that gave West Virginia the lead for good — and the Mountaineers beat Grand Canyon 5-2 Saturday night at the Tuscon Regional.

West Virginia (35-22) plays Sunday against the winner between Grand Canyon and Dallas Baptist in an elimination game at 12 p.m. after the two teams have beaten Arizona and lost to West Virginia so far. It’s a win-or-go home situation for both schools.

Kresser singled to drive in Reed Chumley and Sam White, Ben Lumsden followed with an RBI single and Kresser scored to make it 5-1 when King reached on a fielder’s choice in the fourth.

Dustin Crenshaw’s RBI single in the top of the ninth capped the scoring.

Grand Canyon (35-24) took a 1-0 lead when Beau Ankeney scored on a sacrifice fly by Eddy Pelc in the top of the second but the Mountaineers tied it bottom when Chumley scored on a single by Kresser.

Tyler Switalski gave up a run on six hits and walk over 7 2/3 innings to improve to 5-2 this season for West Virginia. Carson Estridge (4) retired the only batter he faced to earn the save.

Two right-handed sophomores will be on the mound Sunday between GCU’s Issac Lyon (6-1, 3.56 ERA), who earned a three-inning save against Arizona on Friday, and Dallas Baptist’s Jerrod Jenkins (6-0, 3.28), who will make just his sixth start of the season.