Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three records were broken as the No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team beat George Washington, 10-1, in the opening game of the final regular-season series on Thursday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.
 
Junior right-handed starter Alek Manoah broke the single-season strikeout record, with 125, while senior right fielder Darius Hill set the career doubles record, with his 74th. With four strikeouts, Manoah eclipsed John Radosevich's record of 123, set in 1964, while Hill entered the game tied with Jedd Gyorko, who had 73 doubles from 2008-10. Hill also set the WVU record for career at-bats, with 910, and broke a tie for first with Tyler Kuhn, who had 906 from 2005-08.
 
"What are the chances (three) career records that have been held for so long go down on the same night," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "The stars had to line up a little bit on that one. I'm super proud of those guys; they make it fun to coach. What they've given to this program in their careers here, people have no idea what goes into being a student-athlete in our program with all the nutrition we throw at them, the sleep that we throw at them, the academics that we throw at them. We're only allowed to be out here 20 hours per week, but if you want to be a championship-type player, you don't get the opportunity to take a day off. When you're not on the field, you still have to act like a champion, and A.K. (Alek Manoah) and Darius – across the board – are as good as anybody I've ever had as far as being committed to our program, the culture, doing the right thing on the field, off the field. There couldn't be two more deserving guys to break career records."
 
Manoah and Hill's performances helped the Mountaineers (33-18) win their third consecutive game and sixth of their last seven. Highlighted by a seven-run third inning, the WVU offense scored its 10 runs on 14 hits, while Manoah and four relievers held the Colonials (30-23) to a run on eight hits.
 
Hill led the team with three hits and two runs scored and added an RBI. Ten Mountaineers had at least one hit, nine scored a run and eight had one or more RBIs in the victory.
 
"Every coach in the history of college baseball says they want to be playing their best baseball at the end of the season, and I really think we are," Mazey added. "Every guy in the lineup is really starting to get some hits. That's just huge when you turn the lineup over. Everybody is starting to hit pretty well right now, which is a really good feeling."
 
Manoah earned the victory, his team-high-tying eighth of the season to improve to 8-3. On a pitch count that saw him exit the game after 56 pitches, he struck out four and allowed a run on four hits. He left the Monongalia County Ballpark mound to a standing ovation after 3.2 innings.
 
West Virginia jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Hill singled to center to score sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes, who led off the game with a double.
 
The Colonials tied the game at 1-1 on an RBI single in the second, but Manoah got the next three outs to leave runners on second and third and prevent the visitors from taking the lead.
 
The Mountaineers batted around in a seven-run, six-hit third inning to take an 8-1 lead. A leadoff walk and a Hill single put two on for junior first baseman Marques Inman, who singled to right-center to score the first run. A double by sophomore designated hitter Paul McIntosh followed, and senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez drove in the first of two runs on the night with a sacrifice fly. After GW went to its bullpen, junior third baseman Kevin Brophy singled home McIntosh, and junior left fielder TJ Lake doubled in Brophy from first. Lake then scored on a single to center by freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker, and Tucker scored the inning's final run on a wild pitch after he stole second and third.
 
Manoah got the first two outs in the fourth before he was relieved by freshman right-hander Ryan Bergert. He got a flyout to end the inning, retired the side in the fifth and stranded one in the sixth. In 2.1 innings, Bergert gave up one hit with three strikeouts and no walks.
 
Freshman righty Zach Ottinger left two on in the seventh, and the Mountaineers added a run in the bottom of the frame. It came on a run-scoring single by freshman pinch hitter Phillip Dull, which scored senior pinch hitter Andrew Zitel. WVU made it 10-1 in the eighth on a single through the left side by Gonzalez to score Hill.
 
Freshman right-hander Gabe Kurtzhals pitched a scoreless top of the eighth, and senior left-hander Zach Reid threw a perfect ninth to seal the victory.
 
The series continues on Friday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the regular-season finale is set for Saturday, May 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, during the week at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. Saturday's regular-season finale is Senior Day, and Gonzalez, Hill, Reid and Zitel will be recognized prior to first pitch. Prior to Friday night's game, WVU will recognize its graduates, Hill, Lake, Reid, Zitel, senior Braden Zarbnisky and juniors Chase Illig, Dillon Meadows and Cody Wood.
 
Notes: West Virginia improved to 33-18 on the season, 20-7 in non-conference play and 16-5 at home … WVU has won three in a row and six of its last seven games … The Mountaineers improved to 26-9 when scoring first and 17-7 when scoring in the first inning … Alek Manoah broke the single-season strikeout record, with 125, and passed John Radosevich's 123 in 1964 … Darius Hill broke the career doubles record, with his 74th, passing Jedd Gyorko's 73 from 2008-10 … Hill also broke the school record for at-bats, with 910, passing Tyler Kuhn, who had 906 from 2005-08 … Hill extended his WVU records for games played (226) and starts (226).
 
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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