Box Score KENNESAW, Ga. – Junior right-handed pitcher Alek Manoah struck out a career-best 13 batters, but the West Virginia University baseball team lost at Kennesaw State, 5-3, to open the season on Friday afternoon at Stillwell Baseball Stadium.
 
The Mountaineers (0-1) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and led 3-1 in the middle of the sixth, but the Owls (1-0) rallied to score three runs in the seventh inning against the WVU bullpen.
 
In 6.0 innings, Manoah allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits, with 13 strikeouts and no walks.
 
"They played hard, we played hard," seventh-year WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "I think there were some first-game jitters. We're going to play almost all close games, and you have to be able to do the things in baseball that help you win games, throw strikes, play defense and hit at the right time. I thought we hit at the right time, got some big hits, but didn't throw strikes when we needed too and didn't play defense when we needed too. Baseball's not rocket science, that's the formula, and if you don't do it well, you won't win."
 
Manoah's 13-strikeout performance nearly doubled his previous career high of seven. He threw 79 pitches, 58 for strikes. Manoah struck out three batters in an inning twice and had two strikeouts in a frame three times.
 
The 13 strikeouts are the most by a Mountaineer since the 2016 season, when Michael Grove had 13 strikeouts twice and Chad Donato had 13 once.
 
"We knew he was going to be like that, he's been throwing the ball really well all spring," Mazey said of Manoah's Opening Day performance. "That's going to be him, he's a strike-thrower now with great stuff. He's going to give us a chance to win every time he goes out there."
 
Junior first baseman Marques Inman and sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes each had a team-high-tying two hits and a run scored, while senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez had a pair of RBIs.
 
The Mountaineers' three runs came on eight hits, while the Owls scored their five runs on six hits. WVU had two errors and KSU had none. Both teams stranded five runners on base.
 
The Mountaineers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI groundout by sophomore designated hitter Paul McIntosh. His first RBI as a Mountaineer, it scored senior right fielder Darius Hill, who reached on a one-out triple to left-center.
 
Manoah followed with a 1-2-3 first inning, with two strikeouts, and he struck out the side on nine pitches in the second.
 
Manoah escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third inning. A leadoff double, hit batter and infield bunt single loaded the bases, but Manoah got two strikeouts sandwiched around a fielder's choice, where junior third baseman Kevin Brophy threw out the runner at home.
 
Another two strikeouts for Manoah followed in the fourth before the Owls got on the board in the fifth on a two-out RBI single to make it 1-1.
 
Prior to a two-out error to put a runner on in the fifth, Manoah had 8 strikeouts in 4.2 innings on 47 pitches, 39 for strikes.
 
West Virginia wasted no time retaking the lead in the top of the sixth, with a pair of runs on three hits in the top of the sixth to regain a 3-1 lead. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Gonzalez, who singled to left-center to bring home Inman and Doanes.
 
The Owls answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth, as an RBI single followed a leadoff double and wild pitch. However, Manoah struck out the next three to limit the damage and keep WVU's lead intact, at 3-2.
 
Junior right-hander Nick Snyder relieved Manoah to start the seventh, and loaded the bases with one out thanks to a hit batter and back-to-back walks. Freshman Beau Lowery relieved him and got a fielder's choice, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score. An RBI single followed to score an unearned run and give KSU a 5-3 lead.
 
Inman singled in the eighth, and senior third baseman Andrew Zitel, who came in as a pinch hitter in the sixth, singled in the ninth, but the Mountaineers could not rally.
 
Snyder suffered the loss, the first of his WVU career.
 
Due to inclement weather expected in the Atlanta area on Sunday, the Mountaineers will play a doubleheader on Saturday. WVU's contest at Georgia State has been moved up to 12 p.m. ET, at the GSU Baseball Complex, and West Virginia will close the day at Georgia Tech at 6 p.m., at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Mountaineers were originally scheduled to play at Tech on Sunday.
 
Saturday's opener at Georgia State will have a live audio stream and stats, both available at GeorgiaStateSports.com. Saturday's nightcap at Georgia Tech will be streamed via ACC Network Extra on WatchESPN, and live stats can be found at GeorgiaTech.Statbroadcast.com. Direct links to video streams and live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com. Additional behind-the-scenes updates, news and notes can be found on social media by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @WVUBaseball.
 
Notes: West Virginia is 0-1 on the season … WVU played Kennesaw State for the first time in program history … Alek Manoah struck out a career-best 13 batters in 6.0 innings, nearly doubling his previous career high of seven … Manoah's strikeout total is the most by a Mountaineer since Michael Grove struck out 13 twice and Chad Donato had 13 once in 2016 … Senior right fielder Darius Hill started his team-leading 177th career game and 106th consecutive contest, while sophomore catcher Paul McIntosh and freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker each earned their first starts as Mountaineers and made their WVU debuts … McIntosh recorded his first RBI as a Mountaineer in the first inning.
 
Season tickets and mini-packages for the 2019 season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and support the Mountaineers by purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU GAME or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.