West Virginia University starting pitcher Dawson Montesa lasted seven innings as the Mountaineers defeated Wake Forest 10-5 during Sunday afternoon’s elimination game for the Morgantown Regional. (Photo by David Pennock)

GRANVILLE — Before the season started, West Virginia baseball coach Steve Sabins talked about his Division II pitchers, which included Ian Korn, Chansen Cole and Dawson Montesa. Sabins was particularly excited for Montesa because his recruiting process at Adelphia on Long Island was unique in the sense that he only heard about him through rumors. It was the “legend of Dawson Montesa,” according to Sabins. Montesa was a pitcher throwing 90s in a snowstorm, so through different channels, Sabins knew he needed him.

The legend of Dawson Montesa gained an extra chapter Sunday afternoon in his first NCAA regional start. Montesa pitched seven complete innings and only allowed five runs on four hits to keep No. 1-seeded WVU alive in the Morgantown Regional, beating Wake Forest 10-5.

“The dude to the left of me just put the team on his back,” Sabins said, sitting next to Montesa. “Absolutely carried this thing, had his best outing of the season in the biggest moment. Pretty fun. What postseason baseball is about.”

It’s a quick turnaround for the Mountaineers, who face Kentucky at 5 p.m. WVU has to beat the Wildcats Sunday night and again on Monday to advance to the Super Regional. Kentucky just has to win one of two.

Montesa was thrown in a tough spot. After Ian Korn was used extensively against Kentucky Saturday night, Montesa was the only real starter available. Sabins texted Montesa after Saturday’s game when Montesa was at Chipotle that he’d be the starter for Sunday in the elimination game.

West Virginia University catcher Gavin Kelly, left, blocks home plate from Binghamton baserunner Zack Kent during Friday’s 10-1 win. (Photo by David Pennock)

“I texted coach, ‘Hell yeah,'” Montesa said. “Knew I wanted the ball. I was going to tell him even before that that I want the ball. But, it was good, a good feeling getting that text.”

But, he hadn’t started since Kansas on May 10, and only pitched out of the pen since, after struggling in a couple of starts and Korn having success.

With the season on the line, Montesa answered the call. He started off the afternoon striking out two of the first three batters. The Adelphi transfer continued to deal against Wake Forest, and allowed his first run in the third inning on a grounder. Matt Conte took Montesa deep the next inning for a two-run shot, but those were the only three runs through six innings, and he only let up two hits.

Montesa came back out for the seventh and let up another solo shot. But he picked up the next three outs and was fired up walking back to the dugout after waving the last batter. Montesa’s name was chanted by the Kendrick Family Bullpen crowd as he headed to the dugout after being pulled in the eighth. He threw 122 pitches and struck out seven in seven innings and an out.

“Usually I’m poised and usually don’t blow my load before I go out there for another inning, but I guess the moment was pretty big,” Montesa said. “I couldn’t hold it in. It’s pretty fun.”

Behind Montesa, WVU’s offense stayed hot. The Mountaineers tallied three runs in the second inning and then blew the game open in the sixth. The No. 1 seed in the region scored six runs to make it 10-3. Sean Smith kept his bat cooking and went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, contributing an RBI double in the big sixth. Gavin Kelly had two hits and so did Matt Ineich, who was moved to the sixth spot in the lineup from the lead-off spot. Armani Guzman led off Sunday. Tyrus Hall also had a hit and an RBI earlier in the game, continuing from his big game Saturday night.

“The offense was tremendous,” Sabins said. “The offense has been pretty good for three straight games.”

The Mountaineers scored 10 runs on 13 hits. Every player in the lineup had a hit. WVU has scored 29 runs in three games during the regional.

Montesa’s performance was a big help for the rest of the regional. The Mountaineers only needed two arms to close out the game, leaving fresh players for the regional final. Reese Bassinger came in to close out the game for WVU. Bassinger pitched an inning and two-thirds, struck out two and had one hit.

Sabins gave a positive update on ace pitcher and Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Maxx Yehl, who left Game 2 with muscle spasms in his shoulder. Sabins said he wouldn’t be “shocked” if Yehl pitched in the Monday game.

The Mountaineers can’t celebrate the win because it’s a really quick turnaround before facing Kentucky a second time, who just beat them in a tough game on Saturday night.

“I don’t think they care if it’s Kentucky or the New York Yankees, they’re better at flushing it than I am,” Sabins said. “They’re really excited about the chance to get to Monday. That’s the goal right?”

KENTUCKY 11, WVU 9

GRANVILLE — West Virginia baseball has had multiple comebacks this season. The Mountaineers erased a massive deficit against UCF during the regular season, and Brodie Kresser hit a walk-off grand slam way early in the season against Columbia, to name a few. It’s hard to count out WVU, even after the Mountaineers are down a couple or six, like Saturday night.

But, at some point, the comeback magic doesn’t go your way or bounce your way, causing Kresser to fumble the ball on a potential double play to start the game, and you come up short. No. 1-seeded WVU had two comebacks in its second game of the Morgantown Regional, but couldn’t get a third to beat No. 3-seeded Kentucky, who took the game 11-9 and advanced to the regional final Sunday.

“For our team to bounce back and be able to tie that game and come back, just showed real resiliency,” head coach Steve Sabins said. “These guys just keep playing, man. They just keep playing. Couldn’t be more impressed with the grit and resiliency that the team showed.”

WVU now has to win three straight games, including back-to-back on Sunday, May 31, if it wants to advance to the Super Regional. The Mountaineers face Wake Forest at noon in an elimination game, while Kentucky awaits the winner at 5 p.m. on Sunday, having a game to spare.

In the top of the eighth, with the game tied 8-8, Kentucky singled with bases loaded twice, scoring three and retaking the lead. WVU trailed 11-8 and had three outs to tie the game for the third time.

Matthew Graveline beat out a throw to reach first, and Armani Guzman walked. Kresser, the tying run, came up to the plate and grounded into a double play, bringing WVU to its last out. The magic was there for a second when Ben Lumsden reached on an error, scoring Graveline to make it 11-9. But the game ended on a Zahir Barjam flyout.

WVU 10, BINGHAMTON 1

GRANVILLE – Perhaps Ben Lumsden is just made for the spotlight of the NCAA tournament.

West Virginia’s senior outfielder would never admit to that, in fact he kind of played the moment off Friday.

Still, it was a heck of a moment for Lumsden to try and make routine. In the opening game of the NCAA tournament, Lumsden reached base four times, hit a three-run home run and scored twice in the Mountaineers’ 10-1 victory against Binghamton in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,120 inside Kendrick Family Ballpark.

WVU (40-14), which reached 40 wins for the third time in four seasons, advanced to play Kentucky at 5 p.m. today in the winner’s bracket of the Morgantown Regional.

Binghamton (31-21) will play Wake Forest at noon today in an elimination game.

“There are a lot of at-bats during the midweek that people don’t see,” Lumsden said. “You can build off things that happen everyday when there’s no one here. So, you can almost treat a big at-bat like a Tuesday at-bat with zero people in the stands. It’s all the same.”

That is the humble side of Lumsden, a tall drink of water at 6-foot-3 who hails from South Carolina.

The in-the-huge-moment Lumsden has a story that reads more like a fairy tale. His stats, once WVU reaches the NCAA tournament, scream for him to be nicknamed Mr. May.

Consider this: Lumsden is hitting .310 over nine NCAA tournament games – he’s a career .230 hitter at WVU – and he’s collected 12 RBIs and scored seven times in those games.

His performance against the Bearcats may have only been outdone by what he did against Kentucky in the championship game of the Clemson Regional last season, in which he drove in four runs in a wild 13-12 comeback victory.

“For all the work that goes into it, you don’t accidentally hit a three-run homer in a NCAA regional game,” WVU head coach Steve Sabins said. “You don’t accidentally get on base four times. It’s a testament to all of the high-level work he’s put into it.”

With all of that said, Lumsden’s role this season has been that as a spot starter and someone who can come off the bench to pinch hit most times. He didn’t even know he was starting against Binghamton until he first arrived at the ballpark a few hours before the game.

“I felt like it was Ben’s turn today,” Sabins said. “Ben had been doing work. His preparation in batting practice and clarity in some of our (simulation) games kind of showed us where he’s at.”