MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Interstat) — The West Virginia Mountaineers host the Binghamton Bearcats on Friday in a nonconference baseball matchup, with the home team riding a 39-14 record against Binghamton’s 31-20 mark. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Monongalia County Ballpark.

West Virginia enters as the favorite, with a projected score of 7-6 according to Interstat’s game simulator, and installed as a 4.5-run favorite.

The Mountaineers return to their home field after a 9-0 loss at Kansas on Saturday. In that game, right-hander Ian Korn allowed two earned runs on no hits over 5⅔ innings, striking out two. Relievers JT Huether (⅓ inning, one strikeout) and Reese Bassinger (one inning, scoreless) also contributed. Korn has been a steady presence on the mound; in his previous start against TCU on May 14, he threw six shutout innings with six strikeouts in a 2-0 win. Over his last four outings, he has allowed two earned runs in 18⅓ innings (1.96 ERA) and struck out 11.

Binghamton, coming off a 7-3 win over Maine on Saturday, counters with right-hander Brady Lesiak. In that victory, Lesiak tossed 3⅓ innings of one-hit, scoreless relief with two strikeouts. He has been effective in recent appearances: a scoreless inning at Massachusetts-Lowell on May 16, and a tough outing at Albany on May 8 when he allowed two earned runs without recording an out. Despite that, Lesiak has a 1.50 ERA over his last two outings (4⅓ innings, one hit).

The Bearcats’ offense was led in Saturday’s win by center fielder Matt Bolton (3-for-4, home run, two RBIs) and first baseman Steven Kraus (2-for-3, home run, RBI). Binghamton has won three of its last four games, including a 13-12 slugfest at Massachusetts-Lowell on May 16.

West Virginia’s bats have been inconsistent: after the shutout loss to Kansas, the Mountaineers had won their previous three, including a 7-3 win over Arizona State on May 22 and a 4-2 victory over Kansas State on May 21. Left fielder Chase Meyer and shortstop Derek Smith have been key contributors in recent wins.

The teams last met in 2023, with West Virginia taking two of three. Friday’s game is the first of a three-game set.