Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three seniors had at least one hit and an RBI and the fourth pitched a scoreless eighth inning as the No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team concluded the regular season with a 13-2 victory against George Washington on Saturday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.
 
The Mountaineers (34-18) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back to complete the two-game sweep of the Colonials (30-24).
 
Senior right fielder Darius Hill had a career-high-tying four hits and five RBIs with two runs scored and two walks. Hill had a pair of doubles to extend his school-record career mark to 76, and added a seventh-inning home run. Senior third baseman Andrew Zitel homered in the eighth inning, while senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez drove in a run with a first-inning single and scored a run in the sixth inning. Senior left-handed reliever Zach Reid pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
 
At the beginning of the ninth inning, Gonzalez, Hill and Zitel, all four-year Mountaineers, were pulled from the game to a standing ovation, as they departed the Monongalia County Ballpark field for the final time in the regular season.
 
"For the seniors to go out the way they went out, with Darius hitting a home run and Zitel hitting a home run," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "Getting a lead and letting the crowd acknowledge what those guys have done for this program for four years. To answer your question, no, I don't think I could've scripted it better."
 
The Mountaineers conclude the regular season with a 34-18 record, and the 34 regular-season wins are WVU's most since a 36-win regular season in 2009. West Virginia finished the Big 12 slate with a 13-11 mark, tied for its best record since joining the league prior to the 2013 season, and won six conference series for the first time since 2009. The Mountaineers boast a 21-7 non-conference record and a 17-5 mark at home.
 
As the Big 12 Championship begins on Wednesday, WVU has won four in a row and seven of its last eight games.
 
"I couldn't be more confident in our group than I am right now," Mazey added. "It's not going to be easy, it's never easy. We're going to face a first rounder down there on the opening day of the tournament. I think we have the 9 a.m. game again, which means our guys are going to get up at 5:30 in the morning for breakfast, BP and all that. It's never easy, but every time these guys have been challenged to do something, they've responded pretty well. I don't see why this would be any different."
 
In Saturday's win over George Washington, Hill, Gonzalez and Zitel led an offense that scored 13 runs on a season-high 19 hits. Nine Mountaineers had at least one hit, eight had one or more RBIs and seven scored a run.
 
On the mound, junior right-hander Kade Strowd earned the win to improve to 5-5. In 4.0 innings, he allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks. He was followed by four relievers who held GW to three hits with six strikeouts and two walks in the final 5.0 innings.
 
West Virginia sent nine to the plate and took a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Hill doubled home the first run, and junior first baseman Marques Inman followed with a sacrifice fly. Sophomore designated hitter Paul McIntosh followed with an RBI double through the left side, and Gonzalez capped the scoring with a hard-hit infield single to score McIntosh.
 
George Washington got on the board in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Dom D'Alessandro, but it would be the Colonials only runs of the game.
 
WVU got a run back in the fifth to make it 5-2, on an RBI groundout by sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes that scored freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker.
 
West Virginia made it 7-2 with two more in the sixth, as junior left fielder TJ Lake singled up the middle. That scored McIntosh and Gonzalez, who led off the inning with a single and walk, respectively.
 
Hill's two-run home run in the seventh made it a 9-2 contest before Reid tossed a scoreless eighth.
 
In his final at-bat, Zitel led off a four-run eighth inning with a solo home run to extend WVU's lead to 10-2. Junior center fielder Brandon White added an RBI single before Hill's last regular-season at-bat was a two-RBI double to left-center.
 
Prior to the game, seniors Ivan Gonzalez, Darius Hill, Zach Reid and Andrew Zitel were recognized, along with WVU graduates Hill, Reid, Zitel, senior Braden Zarbnisky and juniors Chase Illig, TJ Lake, Dillon Meadows and Cody Wood.
 
The Mountaineers begin postseason play at the Big 12 Championship, from May 22-26, in Oklahoma City at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The championship bracket will be announced at the conclusion of the Big 12 regular season on Sunday, and West Virginia will open the eight-team, double-elimination tournament on Wednesday, May 22.
 
Notes: West Virginia concludes the regular season with a 34-18 record, 21-7 in non-conference play and 17-5 at home … WVU has won four in a row and seven of its last eight games … The Mountaineers improved to 27-9 when scoring first and 18-7 when scoring in the first inning … West Virginia's 34 regular-season wins are its most it won 36 in the regular season in 2009 … WVU had a season-high 19 hits in the win … Darius Hill extended his WVU records for games played (227), starts (227), at-bats (914) and doubles (76) … Hill added his sixth home run of the season and 17th of his career in the seventh inning … Andrew Zitel hit his third home run of the season and fifth of his career in the eighth inning … Prior to the game, seniors Hill, Zitel, Ivan Gonzalez and Zach Reid were honored, along with WVU graduates Hill, Reid, Zitel, Chase Illig, TJ Lake, Dillon Meadows, Cody Wood and Braden Zarbnisky.
 
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