Commentary: As Mountaineers ready for elimination game, harping on errors does no good – WV MetroNews

OMAHA, Neb. — There’s no denying the impact a pair of West Virginia errors in the seventh inning played in the outcome of what amounted to a 5-2 loss to North Carolina on Sunday night at Charles Schwab Field.

There’s no reason to harp on them either.

Tyrus Hall and Brodie Kresser would like nothing more than to have made fairly routine plays, particularly Kresser’s miscue that prevented a potential inning-ending double play.

Instead, Gavin Gallaher followed with a two-run triple to break a 2-all tie and UNC scored three unearned runs in the inning. Neither team would score again.

“Over the course of 62 games, that stuff happens,” second-year WVU coach Steve Sabins said. “I think we have the best fielding percentage in our league. Tyrus is one of the best defenders in the nation. So we’ve had really good success. And that’s kind of part of it. You don’t want it at that time. But I feel very confident that any mistakes that are made are made because mistakes happen in baseball, not necessarily the moment or the situation. I feel like our guys have played really free and aggressive this entire time.”

The Tar Heels are now within one victory of a spot in the Men’s College World Series Finals, while the Mountaineers (46-16) suffered their fourth loss in 22 games since May, and now have to defeat Troy on Tuesday to get another crack at the No. 5 national seed.

WVU never led Sunday and scored one of its two runs on a double play that Matt Ineich hit into in the fourth inning.

The next time Ineich stepped into the batter’s box in the sixth, the Mountaineers were in their best position of the game to lead with runners at first and second, before the shortstop hit into his second 4-6-3 twin killing in as many at bats.

Consider that among its single-season program record 46 victories this season, only two for West Virginia have come scoring two or fewer runs and four have with three or fewer runs. On both occasions that the Mountaineers won with two runs, they prevented the opposition (Liberty and TCU) from scoring.

Baseball is a game predicated on handling failure, not dwelling on it. Succeeding three times every 10 trips to the plate leaves you in position to be enshrined in Cooperstown at the highest level.

Let it not be forgotten that Kresser’s single to start the bottom of the 10th inning led to him scoring the winning run in the Mountaineers’ 6-5 victory over Kentucky to win the Morgantown Regional. He’s been a mainstay in the Mountaineer lineup each of the last three seasons — two that have ended in Super Regional appearances and this year, which will at some point end in Omaha.

“It is what it is. Have to flush it,” Kresser said. “Can’t let the moment get too big.”

Hall has hit exceptionally well throughout the NCAA Tournament and broke a 5-all tie last Friday against Troy with a two-run single in the eighth. He’s also made numerous high-level defensive plays throughout the 2026 campaign, including a few in the MCWS. 

Sabins has described Hall as the best defensive third baseman he’s been around and numerous teammates have offered similar praise.

“I just missed it. It happens,” Hall said.

A big part of what’s made West Virginia’s 2026 season so successful is the team’s ability to stay present. 

The Mountaineers haven’t dwelled on losses or harped on wins. They didn’t get too low after a 23-1 midweek loss to rival Pitt or an 11-9 postseason loss to Kentucky, and didn’t get too high after fending off elimination twice in one day, including an 11-9 win over the Wildcats that featured five ninth-inning runs.

Staying present and not living in the past has never been more important than now as WVU seeks a second win over the Trojans to prolong its stay on college baseball’s premier stage.

“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the country and sometimes things happen,” said Mountaineer relief pitcher Reese Bassinger. “You’re playing on a really good surface. Sometimes the ball takes a really weird bounce. I don’t really know what happened there, but it happens. We move forward. 

“Kresser and Tyrus are some of the best defenders we have and I know without a doubt I would throw that same pitch over and over and I guarantee Kresser fields it for a double play every other time. That guy has been the rock. He’s been a captain for us. He’s a guy that everyone loves. Nobody cares about that. We move on, keep pitching, keep hitting and just go on the next game.”