Box Score AUSTIN, Texas – For the second consecutive day, the No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team rallied in the eighth and ninth innings to beat Texas, 9-8, on Saturday afternoon at Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas.
 
The Mountaineers (26-14, 10-7 Big 12) have won 12 of their last 15 games and have clinched their fifth consecutive Big 12 weekend series. WVU has won five conference series in a row for the first time since 2003, while the five Big 12 series wins are West Virginia's most since it joined the league prior to the 2013 season.
 
The victory over the Longhorns (24-21, 5-11 Big 12) was fueled by a one-run eighth inning and a two-run ninth. WVU has outscored UT 6-1 in the final two innings in the first two games of the three-game series.
 
The rally marked the fifth consecutive win where West Virginia scored the eventual game-winning run in the ninth inning or later.
 
"Unbelievable, here we go again scoring runs in the eighth and ninth innings in one of the hardest places to come back and win, and we've done it twice in a row now," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "This team is getting a little confidence late in the game, and that comes with all the experience we've had in close games late, win or lose. That experience is valuable, and it's starting to show."
 
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but WVU rallied to lead 3-1 in the third and 5-2 after four. UT answered with three in the fifth to tie it at 5-5, but the Mountaineers again responded with a run in the sixth. However, the Longhorns took an 8-6 lead with a three-run seventh. West Virginia came back again though, with one in the eighth and two in the ninth.
 
The Mountaineer offense, which scored its nine runs on 11 hits, benefited from three Texas errors. WVU's first five runs were all unearned and with two outs, and its run in the eighth also was unearned. UT's eight runs came on 12 hits, and West Virginia had two errors that led to one unearned run.
 
West Virginia's ninth-inning rally began with senior right fielder Darius Hill, who led off the inning with a single. He scored from first on a double down the left-field line by junior first baseman Marques Inman. Hill scored the game-tying run just ahead of the relay throw in from left. Freshman Austin Davis pinch ran for Inman and took third on a balk. He scored the go-ahead run on a safety squeeze sacrifice bunt by junior left fielder TJ Lake.
 
Sophomore left-hander Jackson Wolf got the start for West Virginia and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits in 4.0 innings. Senior lefty Zach Reid allowed just one hit in 1.2 innings to earn the win, his first of the year, as he got the final two outs of the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth. Junior righty Sam Kessler tossed a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his seventh save of the year.
 
Offensively, junior center fielder Brandon White led the team with two hits and three RBIs in four at-bats. Hill and freshman third baseman Phillip Dull also notched two hits and scored two runs.
 
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, on a pair of singles, the second driving in the run with two outs.
 
West Virginia answered with three runs in the top of the third to take a 3-1 lead. With freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker on second and two outs, White singled to right to score Tucker. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases for senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez, who singled through the left side, which plated White and Hill.
 
The Longhorns got a run back in the bottom of the third on an RBI single to make it 3-2, but the Mountaineers came right back with two in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 5-2. Both runs again came with two outs and with the help of an error, as Tucker reached on a throwing error with two outs to get it started. Three consecutive singles followed, with White's base hit to center bringing in Tucker and Hill's single to left scoring sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes.
 
Wolf followed with a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth in his final inning on the mound.
 
Against the Mountaineer bullpen, Texas tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth inning. A solo home run led off the frame, and a two-run homer followed. Junior right-hander Dillon Meadows got back-to-back flyouts to end the inning.
 
WVU regained a 6-5 lead in the top of the sixth, on an RBI sacrifice bunt by White, which scored Dull. Meadows followed with a scoreless bottom half.
 
UT came back with three in the bottom of the seventh to take an 8-6 lead. The first two runs scored on a two-RBI double off of sophomore right-hander Tristen Hudson, and the final run was via a sacrifice fly off of Reid, who got a strikeout to end the inning.
 
West Virginia got a run back in the top of the eighth, again benefiting from a Texas error. With Dull on third and Tucker on first, Tucker stole second and Dull scored as the throw from UT's catcher to second sailed into center field.
 
Following WVU's go-ahead ninth inning, Texas put two on with no outs, and had runners on second and third with one out, but Kessler got out of the jam to secure the win. He got a strikeout on a 3-2 pitch before a first-pitch lineout to left ended the game.
 
The finale at Disch-Falk Field is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT. The game will air live on the Longhorn Network and on WatchESPN to subscribers. Fans can listen to the game on the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College on various affiliates throughout the state, while fans across the country can tune into the broadcast online at WVUsports.com/Watch and on the WVU Gameday and TuneIn Radio Apps. Live stats can be found at TexasSports.com. Direct links to video and radio streams and live stats are available on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
 
Notes: West Virginia improved to 26-14 on the season, 10-7 in Big 12 play and 13-11 on the road … WVU has won 12 of its last 15 games … The Mountaineers have won five consecutive conference series for the first time since they won six in a row in 2003, in the Big East … West Virginia's five Big 12 series wins are its most since joining the league in 2013 … WVU improves to 13-7 all-time against Texas and 6-5 in Austin … The Mountaineers' last five wins have all come on game-winning hits in the ninth inning or later.
 
Single game tickets and flex plan 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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