OMAHA, Neb. – It was a Hall of a first game.
Tyrus Hall capped a four-RBI game with a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to snap a 5-5 tie as No. 16 West Virginia edged Troy 7-5 in front of 24,154 fans on Friday afternoon in Game 1 of the 2026 College World Series at Charles Schwab Field.
The Mountaineers (46-15) will face the winner of the North Carolina-Ole Miss game on Sunday, June 14, at 6 p.m. CT. The Trojans (38-31) will meet the loser in an elimination game on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
Matt Ineich had a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth and went to second on a base hit by Brodie Kresser. Ben Lumsden, who had one sac bunt on the season, had his second of the game to move both runners into scoring position.
Hall had a base hit over the drawn-in infield to plate both runners and give WVU a 7-5 lead.
“Just trying to be aggressive and attack whatever pitch I can get,” Hall said.
Ian Korn, brilliant in relief, retired the first two batters in the ninth before issuing a walk to Blake Cavill and bringing Jimmy Janicki to the plate, who had homered in his previous at-bat in the seventh that tied the game at 5-5. WVU skipper Steve Sabins brought in lefty Ben McDougal from the bullpen.
McDougal coaxed Janicki to foul out to first to record his first save of the season.
“McDougal’s had ice water in his veins,” Sabins said. “And he’s from the state of West Virginia. And every big moment that he’s ever been put in, he’s basically been himself or elevated his game. And so match-up-wise, we just believed that left-handed was better against Janicki in that situation.”
Korn (6-1) worked a season-high 6.0 innings with two hits, one run, three walk and four strikeouts.
“I was throwing some more cutters than usual,” Korn said. “Slider wasn’t working. We threw some more curveballs. So we were mixing up a little more than usual, kind of against the scouting report they probably had. So our goal was just to go out there and throw strikes, and that’s what I did.”
“What Ian Korn did in that game to stabilize it to go six innings, two hits was nothing short of miraculous,” Sabins said.
There was much offense over the first four frames. In the bottom of the first, Armani Guzman motored to second on an infield error. He took third on a throw to first on a third strike. With two away, Guzman stole home to set the program record for thefts in a season with 39.
“I think that was the coolest part of it, me stealing home,” Guzman said about getting the steals record. “I think that’s what West Virginia baseball is known for. I think it was really special for it to be on this stage that way.”
Sean Darnell had a two-out double and scored on a base hit by Jabe Boroff in the top of the second to even the score at 1-1.
Hall had a two-out double in the second as the Mountaineers reclaimed the lead at 3-1.
“I thought our guys came out fearless and aggressive,” Sabins said, “and it started with Armani turning an error into a double and advancing to third on a throw across the diamond and stealing home. And it wasn’t anything that’s completely unusual to us, but it was just playing the way that we play.”
Darnell had an RBI double to cap a three-run third as Troy took its first lead at 4-3.
Sean Smith went deep in the third for WVU to make it 4-4 and Hall drew a two-out walk in the fourth and scored on a double by Guzman to put the Mountaineers up 5-4.
“Heck of a college baseball game,” said Troy head coach Skylar Meade. “Unfortunate to be on the wrong side. But give all credit to West Virginia. Two programs that are absolute fighters. And that’s really what that game was. It felt like a heavyweight bout. Our guys competed their tails off.”
Notes
- This was the first meeting between Troy and West Virginia.
- Both teams were making their first CWS appearance. It was the first meeting of two first-timers since 2001, when Tulane edged Nebraska 6-5 in an elimination game. It was the first time in 40 years that two first-timers met in the first round of the CWS. In 1986, Loyola Marymount nipped LSU 4-3 in Game 1.
- WVU is making its first CWS appearance in its 17th NCAA tournament. That is the most regional appearances for a first-time participant in CWS history. The previous high was 15 by Coastal Carolina in 2016.
- The Mountaineers are the first team from the state of West Virginia to reach the CWS. West Virginia is the 40th state to have a team reach the CWS.
- WVU is 40-0 when leading after eight innings.
- Troy started the same starting nine for the 15th straight game.
- The 2020 census claimed 17,727 residents for the city of Troy. There were 24,154 at Charles Schwab Field for Troy’s game against WVU.
- Troy head coach Skylar Meade pitched 2.1 scoreless innings for Louisville against Mississippi State in the 2007 CWS. He is the 23rd person to play and coach in the CWS.
- Jimmy Janicki is the first Troy player to amass 20 home runs and 20 doubles in the same season.