Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team rallied to win the second game of a doubleheader against Kent State, 8-4, on Saturday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.
 
The Mountaineers (8-5) used a five-run sixth inning to erase a 4-0 deficit and added three insurance runs in the eighth to pick up their third consecutive win. After a 6-2 win in the opener of today's twin bill, WVU will go for the series sweep against the Golden Flashes (4-9) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
 
WVU's eight runs came on 11 hits, while five pitchers, three of them freshmen, held KSU to four runs on nine hits. West Virginia stranded 14 runners on base and Kent State left four on.
 
"Bats get better, just like they did, they came out swinging and took the lead," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "Our offense has not been good, but it is coming. As its been coming, it has been coming slowly, but our pitchers have helped us hang in there in the meantime. If we get our offense cooking, the way we have been pitching, we have a pretty good chance to be a good team."
 
Sophomore Paul McIntosh led the team with two hits and three RBIs, both career-highs. He hit his second home run in three days, a go-ahead, three-run shot in the sixth inning. Junior designated hitter Marques Inman had two hits and two RBIs, while senior right fielder Darius Hill had a pair of hits, two runs scored and an RBI.
 
On the mound, freshman right-hander Gabe Kurtzhals earned his first career win. In 2.0 innings, he held Kent State hitless with a strikeout and a walk. He was one of three freshmen to take the mound, a trio that combined to allow two runs on three hits in 5.2 innings.
 
Senior lefty Zach Reid earned the save, his first as a Mountaineer. In 1.1 shutout innings, he allowed two hits.
 
The Golden Flashes took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI triple followed by an infield single. A hit batter began the third inning, and freshman righty Brock Helverson relieved sophomore left-handed starter Jackson Wolf. Helverson got a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
 
Meanwhile, WVU left a runner on in the first and second and Helverson stranded one in the fourth.
 
The first two batters in the fifth reached safely and freshman lefty Beau Lowery got a double play and a fielder's choice to escape the jam and leave two on.
 
Kent State extended its lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning on a two-RBI single with two outs. Kurtzhals then got a fielder's choice to end the inning and leave two on.
 
The Mountaineers stormed back with five runs on four hits to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes led off the inning with a single, stole second and took third on an error. A walk to junior center fielder Brandon White followed, and he stole second to put two in scoring position. An infield single by Hill scored Doanes, and Inman singled to center to bring home White. With two on and one out, McIntosh launched a home run down the right-field line that hit off the right field foul pole.
 
After Reid relieved Kurtzhals and got a lineup to end the eighth inning, West Virginia added three runs in the bottom of the inning to extend its lead to 8-4. Hill led off the inning with a single and scored on Inman's triple to the wall in right-center. Senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez then drove home WVU's second run with a single to right, and he scored from third on a wild pitch.
 
Two reached base in the ninth, but Reid got a flyout to end the game.
 
The series concludes on Sunday, at 1 p.m. ET, at Monongalia County Ballpark. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. Admission for WVU students is free with a valid student I.D.
 
Notes: West Virginia improved to 8-5 on the season and 4-0 at home … WVU is playing its third doubleheader in the first four weeks of the season … The Mountaineers have won three in a row … Gabe Kurtzhals earned his first win and Zach Reid collected his first save … Paul McIntosh hit his second home run of the season and had a career-best two hits and three RBIs.
 
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.
 
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