MORGANTOWN — No. 15 West Virginia baseball’s pitching staff dominated to help win another series, beating Houston.

The Mountaineers’ pitching staff had a no-hitter through seven innings and held the Cougars to just two hits to win 7-3, winning Game 3 Sunday afternoon. This was the second-fewest hits allowed in a game this season.

WVU moved to 27-9 on the year and 12-6 in the Big 12. Houston fell to 17-21 and 4-14 in the conference. The Cougars have just won one series this season. WVU has now won every series aside from the UCF one.

“Anytime you win a series in this league, that’s what you’re working to do,” head coach Steve Sabins said. “It was a fantastic effort by all the kids. Chansen Cole set the tone, going five innings and was crisp, with a ton of swing and misses. I think we ended up giving up two hits the entire day. The pitching staff was excellent.”

WVU’s starter, Cole, picked right where he left off from his last start, where he went into the ninth inning against Texas Tech. Cile showed similar command on the mound Sunday. He pitched a no-hitter in the five innings he pitched, but Sabins pulled him early because he said Cole looked a little out of it due to an illness he’d be dealing with. Cole lost 10 pounds, according to Sabins.

Cole came out after 68 pitches, struck out five, walked two batters and didn’t allow a run. It was his first no-hitter of the season, and Cole is now 6-1 on the year.

“I think every outing you go out, you get more experience,” Cole said. “You’re facing the best players in the country every day. You get more comfortable each time.”

Carson Estridge and Bryson Thacker kept the no-hitter going for the next two innings. Estridge struck out two over an inning and a third, and Thacker struck out a batter for an out. Sabins went to David Perez in the top of the eighth. Perez allowed a hit to left field, ending the no-hitter.

While the pitching kept Houston scoreless, the Mountaineers slowly chipped away every inning.

WVU got to Houston’s starter Connor Udland early with a completely different lineup for Game 3. Gavin Kelly wasn’t in the lineup Sunday as he recovers from an injury he suffered in Saturday’s game, and he usually bats second, so Sabins had to get creative. Paul Schoenfeld led off, Sean Smith batted second and Tyrus Hall batted third.

Sabins gave an update on Kelly’s status.

“Kelly has a swollen wrist,” Sabins said. “Was able to move it, but with some pain in there, so he was on the puddy protocol, where you’re like squeezing, getting the inflammation out. I think he had another X-Ray today, and he’ll have an MRI just to make sure. He was in good spirits and felt good about it. I think it’s more just about can we get him where he can be effective gripping a bat and holding a bat.”

The new lineup caused a couple of walks and two runs in the first two innings. With WVU working some walks and the two runs, Houston pulled Udland. The Mountaineers scored the first two runs on a first and third steal to home and an error in the infield. In the fourth, Matthew Graveline scored on an error, too, making it 3-0 Mountaineers.

“Offensively started off good,” Sabins said. “There were certainly things that went out way early in that game. I think scoring first is probably really important from a momentum standpoint, especially with college kids, getting on that board early kind of changed the course of the game today.”

WVU broke it open in the fifth and sixth innings, headlined by two home runs. Brodie Kresser hit his second home run of the season 388 feet for a two-run shot. The next inning, Graveline lifted one over the left-center wall for a 418-foot solo shot. Smith followed up the home run with a two-out single after WVU moved the runners around with some small-ball. After six, WVU led 7-0.

“I was just looking for a pitch to hit,” Kresser said. “Just going over the scouting report and doing all that stuff, trusting in the coaches and what they say, getting a pitch to hit. Saw that one.”

WVU’s offense made Houston use six pitchers in the final game of the series and racked up 10 hits. Kresser, Graveline, Smith and Armani Guzman all had two hits, leading the team. Kresser led the team with two RBIs. In his debut in the leadoff spot, Schoenfeld went 1-for-4.

After Perez let up the hit, Sabins took his freshman out for Ben McDougal. Houston managed to score two runs on an error from Kresser at second, and another on a sacrifice fly. WVU was still comfortably ahead 7-3. Reese Bassinger came in to close the game out in the ninth and allowed one more hit, but no more runs.

The Mountaineers’ next game is Tuesday, April 21, against Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. The Panthers are 24-13 on the season.

“It’ll be a great atmosphere,” Sabins said. “Our fans will be juiced. They’ll have plenty of energy and excitement. They just need to make sure that their bodies are in a good place.”