Friday, April 20
Morgantown, W.Va.
5:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
16-22, 2-11
5
at
8
West Virginia
18-17, 3-7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Kansas State
2
0
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
5
6
3
West Virginia
0
0
1
0
2
0
2
3
X
8
14
2
Mountaineers Rally to Take Series Opener Friday
Apr 20, 2018 | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia scored the game's final five runs, including a three-run eighth which was capped by Darius Hill's two-run home run, on its way to an 8-5 victory over K-State in the series opener Friday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.
K-State (16-22, 2-11 Big 12) held a 4-0 lead in the middle of the third inning and led 5-3 as the game entered the seventh inning stretch, but West Virginia (18-17, 3-7 Big 12) got five runs off reliever Alex Belch in the seventh and eighth innings.
Belch (0-2) took the loss, giving up three hits and walking two in allowing the five runs (four earned).
Marques Inman, the first batter Belch faced, laced a double off the left field wall to begin the seventh inning. He would later score on a wild pitch after the first three hitters reached base before Belch struck out two of the final three hitters he faced to keep the game tied headed to the eighth.
In the eighth, Braden Zarbnisky gave the Mountaineers their first lead when he scampered home on a wild pitch. A batter later, Hill extended the WVU lead to 8-5 with his third home run of the season.
Hill finished with a game-high three hits, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
Sam Kessler earned the win after he retired four of the five Wildcats he faced. Kessler and Shane Ennis combined to record nine outs without allowing a run and yielding just one hit.
WVU starter BJ Myers went six innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits with six strikeouts. Myers, at one point, retired 10 straight Wildcat hitters.
K-State starter Justin Heskett pitched into the fifth inning and surrendered 10 hits, all singles, and three earned runs.
Trent McMaster led the Cats with a 2-for-4 effort, driving in a run. Drew Mount drove in two, upping his team-leading RBI total to 43. Mount recorded K-State's only extra-base hit, a two-run double in the third.
K-State scraped across a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the first inning. Will Brennan, who led off the game with a single, scored on a throwing error from Myers attempting to pick off Mount on first base. Mount scored later in the at-bat when McMaster roped a single to left field, handing the Cats an early 2-0 lead.
Mount's two-out double down the left field line scored Brennan and Cameron Thompson. K-State began the inning with three consecutive walks off Myers.
Three consecutive singles off Heskett to begin the third inning loaded the bases with nobody out. Heskett wiggled around the jam with minimal damage, as the Mountaineers managed just one run off a 6-4-3 double play to cut into the Wildcats' lead 4-1.
It became a one-run ballgame in the fifth, as WVU scored two more off Heskett. Inman and Kyle Gray each recorded RBI singles to cap a string of four straight base hits to begin the inning, ending Heskett's day. Brogan Heinen forced Tyler Doanes into a double play to help the Cats escape further damage.
Kyle Barfield scored the final K-State run in the top of the seventh when catcher Ivan Gonzalez threw the ball into left field attempting to pick off Barfield at third base.
Barfield, Brennan, and Hanz Harker each added base hits for the Wildcats.
West Virginia outhit K-State, 14-6, and the Cats committed three errors in the game.
The Wildcats and Mountaineers continue their three-game set Saturday at 3 p.m. CT from Monongalia County Ballpark. A free live stream is available at wvusports.com/watch. Fans can listen live on KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) and streaming live on kstatesports.com.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
K-State (16-22, 2-11 Big 12) held a 4-0 lead in the middle of the third inning and led 5-3 as the game entered the seventh inning stretch, but West Virginia (18-17, 3-7 Big 12) got five runs off reliever Alex Belch in the seventh and eighth innings.
Belch (0-2) took the loss, giving up three hits and walking two in allowing the five runs (four earned).
Marques Inman, the first batter Belch faced, laced a double off the left field wall to begin the seventh inning. He would later score on a wild pitch after the first three hitters reached base before Belch struck out two of the final three hitters he faced to keep the game tied headed to the eighth.
In the eighth, Braden Zarbnisky gave the Mountaineers their first lead when he scampered home on a wild pitch. A batter later, Hill extended the WVU lead to 8-5 with his third home run of the season.
Hill finished with a game-high three hits, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
Sam Kessler earned the win after he retired four of the five Wildcats he faced. Kessler and Shane Ennis combined to record nine outs without allowing a run and yielding just one hit.
WVU starter BJ Myers went six innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits with six strikeouts. Myers, at one point, retired 10 straight Wildcat hitters.
K-State starter Justin Heskett pitched into the fifth inning and surrendered 10 hits, all singles, and three earned runs.
Trent McMaster led the Cats with a 2-for-4 effort, driving in a run. Drew Mount drove in two, upping his team-leading RBI total to 43. Mount recorded K-State's only extra-base hit, a two-run double in the third.
K-State scraped across a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the first inning. Will Brennan, who led off the game with a single, scored on a throwing error from Myers attempting to pick off Mount on first base. Mount scored later in the at-bat when McMaster roped a single to left field, handing the Cats an early 2-0 lead.
Mount's two-out double down the left field line scored Brennan and Cameron Thompson. K-State began the inning with three consecutive walks off Myers.
Three consecutive singles off Heskett to begin the third inning loaded the bases with nobody out. Heskett wiggled around the jam with minimal damage, as the Mountaineers managed just one run off a 6-4-3 double play to cut into the Wildcats' lead 4-1.
It became a one-run ballgame in the fifth, as WVU scored two more off Heskett. Inman and Kyle Gray each recorded RBI singles to cap a string of four straight base hits to begin the inning, ending Heskett's day. Brogan Heinen forced Tyler Doanes into a double play to help the Cats escape further damage.
Kyle Barfield scored the final K-State run in the top of the seventh when catcher Ivan Gonzalez threw the ball into left field attempting to pick off Barfield at third base.
Barfield, Brennan, and Hanz Harker each added base hits for the Wildcats.
West Virginia outhit K-State, 14-6, and the Cats committed three errors in the game.
The Wildcats and Mountaineers continue their three-game set Saturday at 3 p.m. CT from Monongalia County Ballpark. A free live stream is available at wvusports.com/watch. Fans can listen live on KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) and streaming live on kstatesports.com.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State scored five runs on six hits with three errors and left five runners on base. West Virginia scored eight runs on 14 hits and committed two errors and stranded 10 baserunners.
- McMaster led K-State with two hits while Mount had the Wildcats' only extra-base hit, a two-run double.
- Mount had a team-high two RBI, increasing his season total to 43.
- WVU outhit K-State, 14-6.
- All five Wildcat runs came with two outs while West Virginia had no two-out RBI.
- The Mountaineers were 7-for-23 (.304) with runners on base and got their leadoff man on base in five of eight innings they came to bat.
- Brennan and Dylan Watts each walked twice while Brennan scored two runs.
- West Virginia now leads the all-time series, 9-7, dating back to 2012 when WVU joined the Big 12.
- WVU owns a 89-88 edge in total runs scored in the series.
- K-State is now 2-5 all-time in Morgantown.
- The Wildcats are 0-7 on the road in conference play and have now lost their last eight league games overall.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kessler, Sam (3-0)
L: Belch, Alex (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Mount, Drew 1
RBI: Mount, Drew 2 ; McMaster, Trent 1
SH: McWhertor, TK 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brennan, Will 2 ; Thompson, Cameron 1 ; Mount, Drew 1 ; Barfield, Kyle 1
SB: Watts, Dylan 1
CS: Watts, Dylan 1
PO: McMaster, Trent 1
Batting:
2B: Inman, Marques 1
HR: Hill, Darius 1
RBI: Hill, Darius 2 ; Inman, Marques 1 ; Gray, Kyle 1 ; Gonzalez, Ivan 1
SH: Doanes, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zarbnisky, Braden 1 ; White, Brandon 3 ; Hill, Darius 2 ; Inman, Marques 1 ; Gray, Kyle 1
SB: Zarbnisky, Braden 1 ; White, Brandon 1 ; Galusky, Jimmy 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
OF
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