Box Score STATESBORO, Ga. – Another strong performance on the mound and timely hitting propelled the West Virginia University baseball team to a 5-1 victory at Georgia Southern on Friday night in Statesboro, Georgia.
 
In the series opener at Jack Stallings Field at J.I. Clements Stadium, the Mountaineers (3-2) held the Eagles (1-3) to one unearned run on five hits with 13 strikeouts. WVU scored its five runs on five hits with the help of a two-out single, two squeeze bunts and two GSU errors.
 
On the mound, junior right-handed starter Alek Manoah struck out eight batters and allowed one unearned run on two hits with two walks in 6.1 innings to earn the win. Fellow junior righty Sam Kessler pitched the final 2.2 innings, held Georgia Southern to three hits with five strikeouts and no walks and earned the save.
 
"That was a great win, we played great," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "Manoah and Kessler were dominant like they normally are. If we use those two guys, we have to win that game. If we use those two guys and don't win, that puts us at a real disadvantage for the weekend. We got some timely hitting, moved the baseball, laid some nice bunts down and got runs when we needed them."
 
Manoah held GSU hitless for 4.2 innings and did not allow a runner to reach second base when he was on the mound. The eight strikeouts are the second-most in his career, behind the 13 in last week's season-opener. The Eagles' lone run credited to Manoah was unearned and came after he left the game, on a pair of throwing errors after a stolen base.
 
As he collected his first save of the season, Kessler stranded a runner on in the eighth and two in the ninth to preserve the win. His five strikeouts tied a career high.
 
Senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez paced the offense with two hits and had an RBI. Junior left fielder TJ Lake had a hit and drove in a run, the eventual game-winner, and scored a team-best two runs.
 
Manoah's day began with one strikeout in a 1-2-3 first inning. He struck out two in the second and left a runner on after his first walk of the season.
 
The Mountaineers took a 1-0 lead in the third. Lake led off the inning with a single up the middle and was sacrifice bunted to second. A walk put two on with two outs for senior right fielder Darius Hill, who singled to left to score Lake.
 
Two strikeouts for Manoah followed in the bottom half of the third, and he added one in the fourth and another in the fifth.
 
West Virginia led off the sixth with a single and a walk to put two on, but could not add to its lead. In the bottom of the inning, Manoah proceeded to throw his second perfect inning of the night, with another strikeout.
 
With the help of two Georgia Southern errors, WVU scored two runs to add to its lead in the seventh, both on throws home on squeeze bunts. The first was off the bat of Lake, which scored sophomore third baseman Tristen Hudson on a throwing error by GSU's first baseman. Lake took second on the errant throw home and advanced to third on a wild pitch. That set it up for freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker, who again placed down a squeeze bunt. Once again, the throw came home, but Lake eluded the tag from the Eagle catcher on the slide, got up and touched the plate to make it 3-0.
 
The Eagles answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to cut into WVU's lead. Kessler relieved Manoah after he issued a one-out single. On a Kessler strikeout for the second out of the inning, the runner stole second and advanced to third and scored on two West Virginia throwing errors.
 
The Mountaineers responded with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to extend their lead to 5-1. Back-to-back walks led off the frame and Gonzalez doubled home the first run. Hudson drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly.
 
Kessler gave up a leadoff single in the eighth but stranded the runner on second. In the ninth, two base hits put runners on first and second with two outs, but a flyout ended the game.
 
Due to inclement weather expected in the Statesboro area on Sunday, the series will conclude tomorrow with a doubleheader. First pitch of Saturday's originally-scheduled contest is moved up two hours to 1 p.m., and the nightcap will begin no earlier than 5 p.m.
 
Saturday action will be streamed on GSEagles.com/Watch, and live stats can be found at GeorgiaSouthern.Statebroadcast.com. Direct links to video streams and live stats are available 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 improves to 3-2 on the season and has won two in a row … WVU scored first for the fourth time in its first five games … Alek Manoah struck out eight batters in 6.1 innings and allowed one unearned runs on two hits with two walks … Manoah's eight strikeouts are the second-most in his career, behind last week's 13-strikeout outing … Manoah did not allow a baserunner to reach second base and held Georgia Southern hitless for 4.2 innings … Sam Kessler earned his first save of the season and struck out a career-high-tying five batters.
 
Single game tickets, 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.