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Mazey Wins 100th as WVU Downs Kansas
March 26, 2016 08:26 PM | Baseball
LAWRENCE, Kan. – West Virginia University baseball coach Randy Mazey won his 100th game at WVU in an 11-6 victory at Kansas on Saturday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark.
Mazey is the fifth coach in program history to eclipse the 100-win mark and the second to accomplish the feat in his first four seasons.
Postgame Video: Coach Mazey | Inman, Hardy
“I didn’t have any idea, to be honest with you. When they doused me with the Gatorade, I thought they were made at me, because I don’t keep up with stuff like that,” said Mazey after the milestone win. “I’m just proud of these guys, we’ve been through a little bit of a grind here, travel-wise and with a four game losing streak. We had every opportunity to be down on ourselves coming into the weekend and it took some veteran guys to lift us up. Chad Donato yesterday, Jeff Hardy and Conner Dotson pitched well today. And throw the young guys in there like they always do, and it’s just a really good team win.”
Mazey joins Ira Errett Rodgers (1921-42, 46), Steve Harrick (1948-67), Dale Ramsburgh (1968-94) and Greg Van Zant (1995-2012) with at least 100 wins at WVU.
Along with Mazey, only Van Zant won his 100th game in his fourth season. Harrick won his 100 game in his eighth season and Rodgers and Ramsburg reached the milestone in their ninth seasons at the helm.
Saturday, it was a team effort that gave Mazey his 100th victory as WVU improved to 12-8 on the year and 2-3 in Big 12 action. Offensively, freshman designated hitter Marques Inman had three hits and three runs scored, both career highs, while senior center fielder KC Huth and junior catcher Ray Guerrini each drove in two runs.
On the mound, it was senior righty Jeff Hardy that came in and got the final 11 outs of the game to earn his first save of the season.
Hardy took the hill in the sixth inning after Kansas had scored six runs on 11 hits in the first 5.1 innings. After Hardy’s arrival, Kansas totaled just two hits as the senior recorded six strikeouts with no walks.
Coach Mazey recaps today's win at Kansas, his 100th win with the Mountaineers!
Posted by WVU Baseball on Saturday, March 26, 2016
The Mountaineer offensive outpouring was led by leadoff hits in all but three innings, and they scored runs in seven of nine innings. WVU had 15 hits with zero errors on the day. Kansas’ six runs came on 13 hits with one error, as the Jayhawks stranded 10 runners on base.
Kansas scored in the first inning thanks to a pair of singles and a hit batter, but West Virginia answered right back in the top of the second. Inman, who led off with his first hit of the day, scored when freshman left fielder Braden Zarbnisky reached on a fielding error. The error, with two outs, allowed Inman to reach third and score to tie the game at 1-1.
Freshman Marques Inman and senior Jeff Hardy recap today's 11-6 win at Kansas.
Posted by WVU Baseball on Saturday, March 26, 2016
The Mountaineers took their first lead of the game with a three-run third inning. The inning was fueled by four singles, beginning with freshman second baseman Kyle Gray’s leadoff hit. Junior first baseman Jackson Cramer also singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Inman then singled to score Gray, and Huth singled home Cramer. Junior catcher Ray Guerrini laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to score Inman for the final run of the inning.
The Jayhawks answered though, with three runs of their own in the third. With two runners on and two outs, senior starter Ross Vance hit a batter and gave up back-to-back singles to tie the game at 3-3.
Sophomore righty Conner Dotson relieved Vance and got the final out of the inning. In 2.2 innings of work, Vance allowed four runs on six hits with one strikeout and no walks.
West Virginia again answered back tough with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 7-4 lead.
With two outs in the fourth inning, freshman right fielder Darius Hill doubled to center to score sophomore third baseman Kyle Davis, who walked.
In the fifth, WVU added a pair of runs on three hits, including the eventual game-winning tally. Inman led off with a double and Huth followed with a single. Freshman shortstop Jimmy Galusky drove in Inman with a single and Zarbnisky reached on a fielder’s choice, which scored Huth.
Dotson pitched a scoreless fourth inning before he allowed one run on two hits in the fifth. In the sixth inning, two straight hits and a fielder’s choice for KU scored one to cut WVU’s lead to 7-6. Hardy came in and got the final two outs of the inning.
Dotson’s 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, would earn him the win. The righty improved to 4-1 on the year.
WVU again responded with a run in the seventh inning to push its lead back to two at 8-6. Galusky led off with a double and scored on Davis’ sacrifice fly.
The Mountaineers added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning. Hill led off with a double and Cramer followed with a walk. Hill scored on a Huth sacrifice fly and Cramer crossed the plate after a single by Guerrini.
Meanwhile on the mound, Hardy put a stop to the KU offense. After allowing a hit in the sixth, he retired seven consecutive batters. The 1-2-3 inning in the seventh and eighth were the first time all game either team had been retired in order.
First pitch of Sunday’s series finale has been moved up by 30 minutes and will now be at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT.
A live video stream can be found on ESPN3.com and the Watch ESPN app. Jeff Culhane will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state. The radio broadcast can also be found online at WVUsports.com or on the TuneIn Radio App and the Mountaineer Gameday App. Live stats will be available at KUathletics.com. Additional updates and notes from Lawrence, Kansas, can be found on social media by following and connecting with the team at @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
NOTES: WVU improves to 12-8 on the year, 2-3 in Big 12 play, 9-7 on the road and 7-6 all-time vs. Kansas … Randy Mazey won his 100th game as WVU coach, becoming the fifth WVU head coach to reach the milestone … Mazey joins Ira Errett Rodgers (1921-42, 46), Steve Harrick (1948-67), Dale Ramsburgh (1968-94) and Greg Van Zant (1995-2012) with at least 100 wins with the Mountaineers … Mazey and Van Zant are the only two to accomplish the feat in their first four seasons at the helm … The leadoff batter reached for the Mountaineers in a total of six innings, and WVU was never retired in order in any inning … Freshman Marques Inman scored his first career run in the second inning … Junior Jackson Cramer singled in the third inning and has reached base in 40 consecutive games … Freshman Darius Hill’s fourth-inning RBI double was his 25th hit of the season and 14th RBI, both team highs, and Hill later recorded his 26th hit and team-leading 10th double … Freshman Braden Zarbnisky drove in the first run of his career when he reached on a fielder’s choice in the fifth … Freshman Marques Inman had a career-high three hits, scored three runs and had one RBI … Sophomore Conner Dotson earned his fourth win with 2.2 innings of work in relief, allowing two runs on five hits with just one walk … Senior Jeff Hardy pitched 3.2 innings in relief and allowed just two hits with six strikeouts and earned his first save of the season.
Single game tickets for the 2016 WVU baseball season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and contribute to the home field advantage at Monongalia County Ballpark by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. More information on season tickets and the 30-game home schedule can be found at WVUsports.com, while single game ticket information is available here.
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