Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team lost the second game of a three-game series to Baylor, 4-1, on Friday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.
 
Just like in Thursday night's 2-1 victory, the Mountaineers (27-24, 9-14 Big 12) trailed 1-0 early but tied the game at 1-1, today in the fourth inning. However, the Bears (31-19, 12-11 Big 12) answered with two in the fifth and another in the eighth to tie the series at 1-1.
 
Both teams had eight hits in the contest. WVU committed one error that allowed the final run to score, unearned, while BU had two errors. Baylor left 12 runners on base and West Virginia stranded 11.
 
"A lot of times, if you only give up four runs, then you're going to win the game," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "Today wasn't one of those days. Their bullpen is their strength. When we got into their 'pen, that wasn't to our advantage, it was to their advantage."
 
Junior second baseman Kyle Gray and sophomore center fielder Brandon White each had two hits to lead WVU, and Gray added a run scored. Six Mountaineers had a hit in the contest. Junior catcher Ivan Gonzalez drove in West Virginia's run, tying the game at 1-1 in the fourth inning.
 
Sophomore right-handed starter Isaiah Kearns allowed a run on three hits in 3.0 innings. A total of 10 Mountaineer pitchers took the mound. Sophomore righty Kade Strowd, who pitched 1.1 innings beginning in the fourth, suffered the loss. He gave up two runs on four hits.
 
"The pitching plan worked to perfection yesterday, but Kearns was throwing pretty well when we took him out," Mazey said. "That was the difference. Not too many guys after Kearns threw all that well. We walked seven. I don't know how many they walked, but if you walk seven guys, then you're not going to win unless you score 10 runs. We just have to pitch better than that."
 
For the second consecutive day, Baylor took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a two-out RBI single.
 
Just like in last night's series opener, the Mountaineers answered. Gray got things going in the fourth inning with a one-out walk, and took second on a groundout. He scored on junior catcher Ivan Gonzalez's single up the middle to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Strowd took the mound to relieve freshman left-hander Jackson Wolf in the fifth after an inning, and BU scored two runs to regain the lead at 3-1. Both runs scored on a two-out RBI double, with runners reaching on one-out and two-out singles.
 
West Virginia left two on in the bottom of the fifth and another two in the sixth. In both innings, the second runner reached with two outs.
 
Baylor left the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh innings, as three WVU pitchers took the mound in the sixth and four in the seventh. Junior right fielder Braden Zarbnisky made a fantastic diving catch to end the sixth, while junior righty Christian Young came in and got a strikeout to end the seventh.
 
BU added a run in the eighth to extend its lead to 4-1. The unearned run scored on a failed pickoff attempt.
 
The Mountaineers put two runners on in the ninth with two outs, as Zarbnisky reached on a fielding error and White reached on an infield single. However, a strikeout ended the game.
 
The series concludes with the regular-season finale on Saturday, with first pitch moved up to noon ET, due to inclement weather expected in the area. Prior to the game, at 11:30 a.m., graduating seniors Shane Ennis and BJ Myers will be honored for their outstanding careers in the Old Gold and Blue.
 
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. Admission for WVU students is free with a valid student I.D.
 
Saturday is Family Day, where fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25. It also is the final trading card giveaway and postgame autograph session of the year, for kids 18 and under. The home finale is National Armed Forces Day, with $3 tickets for members of the military with a military ID.
 
NOTES: West Virginia falls to 27-24 on the season and 9-14 in Big 12 play … WVU improves to 10-8 all-time against Baylor and 5-2 at home, while the Mountaineers have won five of the last seven and seven of the last 10 in the series … West Virginia is 15-7 at home.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit WVUsports.com.