MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A two-out, four-run rally in the eighth inning led the West Virginia University baseball team to a 5-4 victory over Kansas State on Sunday afternoon.
On a warm, sun-soaked day in front of 1,682 fans at Monongalia County Ballpark, the Mountaineers (18-16, 5-6 Big 12) trailed 4-1 before a four-run eighth inning. All five of WVU’s runs came with two outs against the Wildcats (16-20, 3-9).
“You feel so good today, not just about the win, but the way we won,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “It was a lot of the young guys coming in there. Kyle Gray with a huge walk, and of course (Braden) Zarbnisky with the (game-tying hit), that’s not an accident, he practices it all the time. I don’t think anybody’s ever had this big of a group of freshmen that contributes. This is a huge freshman class that’s trying to contribute.”
WVU trailed 4-0 early, but chipped into the deficit with a run in the sixth before the comeback was completed in the eighth inning.
The rally began with back-to-back one-out singles by freshman designated hitter Ivan Vera and junior catcher Ray Guerrini. With two outs, freshman third baseman Cole Austin singled to load the bases. Freshman second baseman Kyle Gray walked to score Vera.
Freshman pinch hitter Braden Zarbnisky followed with a single that scored Guerrini and Austin to tie the game at 4-4. Freshman right fielder Darius Hill then hit an infield single to the KSU shortstop that scored Gray for the go-ahead hit.
It was Hill’s team-high fourth game-winning hit of the season. With two hits on the day and the RBI, Hill continues to lead the team with 46 hits and 26 RBIs.
Geurrini, who drove in WVU’s run in the sixth inning, had a team-best three hits to go with his RBI and run scored. Vera had two hits and scored two runs, while Austin also had a pair of hits and a run scored.
On the mound for the Mountaineers, sophomore right-hander BJ Myers (4-3) turned in another Steller outing to earn his fourth win of the season and second in as many weeks.
In 8.0 innings, he allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk. All four K-State runs came in the third inning, and Myers recovered nicely to allow WVU to come back.
“BJ Myers, (normally) you have to calm him down when he pitches, he has a calming effect on the rest of the team,” added Mazey. “He’s changed his mentality, he used to be a little bit out of control, and he was in complete control today. They got four runs in the third inning, four of their eight hits all came in that same inning. He was really good, and our guys took that to heart. The energy in the dugout was really good the whole game. I don’t think anybody had a doubt that we were going to scratch our way back into it and BJ was going to keep it right there.”
Senior righty Blake Smith pitched a perfect ninth inning, with two strikeouts, to pick up his fourth save of the year.
Kansas State’s only damage came in the third inning, with four runs. The Wildcats loaded the bases with no outs. A flyout scored one, and with two outs, Josh Rolette hit a three-run home run to right to give K-State a 4-0 lead.
The Mountaineers stranded a runner on base in four of the first five innings before they plated a run in the sixth. With two outs, Vera singled and scored on Guerrini’s double.
Vera’s single extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his reached base streak to 13 games, both the longest active streaks on the team and career-best totals.
WVU’s nine game homestand concludes on Tuesday, April 16 vs. Youngstown State at 6:30 p.m. ET. It will be Dollar Day at Monongalia County Ballpark, where all tickets and select concession items are just $1. Tickets remain available for the game and can be purchased at the gate or online at
WVUGAME.com.
NOTES: WVU improved to 18-16 on the season and 5-6 in Big 12 play … A total of 5,744 fans filled Monongalia County Ballpark for the weekend series against Kansas State, the third-largest total attendance for a series in the ballpark’s history … Freshman Darius Hill recorded his team-best fourth game-winning RBI and continues to lead the team with 46 hits and 26 RBIs … Freshman Ivan Vera extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his reached base streak to 13 games, both the longest active streak on the team and career-high totals … Sophomore BJ Myers earned his fourth win of the season, pitching 8.0 innings and allowing four runs on eight hits … Senior Blake Smith pitched a perfect ninth inning and earned his fourth save of the season.
Single game and flex plan 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 Gate A of Monongalia County Ballpark. More information on single game tickets and can be found at
WVUsports.com, while flex plan ticket information is available
here.
