Box Score COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The West Virginia University baseball team lost the final game of a five-game roadtrip, 9-1 at Tennessee Tech on Wednesday afternoon in Cookeville, Tennessee.
 
In the last of 15 games on the road to open the 2018 season before Friday's home opener, the Mountaineers (7-8) were held to one run on four hits. The Golden Eagles (11-5) scored nine runs on 11 hits. Both teams committed one error. WVU played its first midweek games of the season yesterday, and today marks the only time this year that West Virginia will play two midweek games in a week.
 
Junior shortstop Jimmy Galusky hit his fifth home run of the season and 10th of his career in the seventh inning. He was one of four players with one hit for WVU.
 
On the mound, junior right-hander Christian Young made his first career start. In 4.1 innings, he allowed four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks. He departed with one out in the fifth inning and the two runners on, trailing 2-0. Young suffered his first loss of the year and falls to 2-1 on the season.
 
Young retired the first six batters he faced before the first two batters in the third reached. However, a double play and a strikeout ended the inning and stranded a runner on third.
 
The Mountaineers stranded a pair in the fourth, as junior right fielder Darius Hill and junior third baseman Andrew Zitel both singled.
 
Young followed with a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth before junior second baseman Kyle Gray doubled with two outs in the fifth. Gray reached base twice in the contest, also drawing a walk in the third inning.
 
Tennessee Tech got on the board in the fifth inning, on a two-RBI double with one out off of Young. With two on, senior righty Shane Ennis relieved Young, and two more runs scored on a single to make it 4-0. Two more RBI singles followed to give the Golden Eagles a 6-0 lead.
 
Sophomore right-handers Dillon Meadows and Jacob Potock combined to pitch a scoreless sixth, stranding two batters.
 
Galusky's home run in the seventh cut into the TTU lead, making it 6-1. However, a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh off of junior lefty Zach Reid followed to extend the Tennessee Tech lead to 8-1. A leadoff home run in the eighth gave the Golden Eagles their final run of the game.
 
WVU was retired in order in the eighth and ninth innings.
 
West Virginia hosts its home-opening series this weekend, from March 16-18, vs. Canisius. The home opener is set for Friday, March 16, at 3 p.m. ET, while Saturday's contest will begin at 2 p.m. First pitch on Sunday is at 1 p.m. Tickets are available for all three games this weekend, at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on gameday at Monongalia County Ballpark. Friday is a Dollar Day, with tickets and select concessions available for just $1, and fans can play Baseball Bingo. Saturday will feature $5 tickets on game day and a flash sale, where fans can purchase tickets to any game this season for just $5 by using the promo code LUCKY on WVUGAME.com/Promo. Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to WVUsports.com for the most up-to-date information on this weekend's home-opening series.
 
NOTES: West Virginia falls to 7-8 on the year … WVU is 5-3 in its last eight games … The Mountaineers were playing their first midweek games of the season this week at Tennessee Tech … West Virginia has hit a home run in all but two games this season … Christian Young made his first start of the year and allowed four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 4.1 innings … He departed trailing 2-0 and suffered his first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 … Jimmy Galusky hit his fifth home run of the season and 10th of his career in the seventh inning … Darius Hill extended his hitting streak to eight consecutive games with a fourth-inning single.
 
Season tickets, single game tickets and mini-packages for the 2018 season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets at WVUGAME.com, call 1-800-WVU GAME or visit the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. The 2018 schedule, with game times, can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com. A printable PDF and schedule breakdown also are available on WVUsports.com.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit WVUsports.com.