Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team dropped the second game of the series to TCU, 6-1, on Saturday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.
 
The Mountaineers (27-17, 10-10 Big 12) suffered just their second Big 12 series loss of the season, and snapped a stretch of five consecutive conference victories. It was WVU's longest conference series win streak since it won six Big East series in a row in 2003.
 
"There are going to be times during the long season where you're pitching really well and not hitting, or hitting really well and not pitching," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "We're in one of those positions right now, that we have an opportunity to get swept and we're not hitting and we're not pitching. So, the beauty of all the stuff you go through over the course of the season is that none of it ever really lasts that long, and that it's just a matter of time until we come out of it, and hopefully it's tomorrow."
 
West Virginia was held to one run, in the seventh, on four hits. The Horned Frogs (26-19, 8-9 Big 12) scored their six runs on 11 hits. TCU took a 1-0 lead in the first and extended it to 6-0 with two in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth.
 
Sophomore left-hander Jackson Wolf suffered the loss. In 3.1 innings, he allowed five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Three Mountaineer relievers followed and combined to give up one run on four hits in the final 5.2 innings.
 
Charles King gave up one run, which was unearned, in the complete-game outing for TCU. He struck out eight and walked one.
 
TCU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a leadoff home run by Josh Watson. Wolf left one on in the frame to prevent further damage.
 
West Virginia had a great opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the first, as junior center fielder Brandon White singled with one out and junior first baseman Marques Inman doubled. However, Inman's double to right bounced off the turf and out of play for a ground rule double, which forced White to stop at third. A groundout ended the inning.
 
The Horned Frogs added to their lead in the third on a two-run double with two outs, and made it 5-0 with two in the fourth. The first run came on an RBI double with one out, and the second, after junior right-hander Dillon Meadows relieved Wolf, was on a groundout. TCU extended its lead to 6-0 on a run-scoring double down the left field line in the fifth inning.
 
Meadows held the Horned Frogs scoreless in the sixth and pitched a perfect seventh.
 
The Mountaineers got on the board in the bottom of the seventh, as senior catcher Ivan Gonzalez reached second on a throwing error to lead off the frame. He took third on an infield single and scored on a groundout by sophomore designated hitter Tristen Hudson.
 
Freshman righty Gabe Kurtzhals pitched a perfect eighth inning, on 10 pitches, and freshman right-hander Brock Helverson threw a scoreless ninth.
 
After WVU scored its lone run in the seventh, King retired the next seven he faced to end the game.
 
The series concludes tomorrow, at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com and on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. Admission for WVU students is free with a valid student I.D. The game will be streamed live for free on WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App, while fans also can watch live via Roku and Apple TV by searching for the "West Virginia Mountaineers" channel.
 
Sunday is the final trading card giveaway of the season, courtesy of United Bank, to the first 250 kids, 16 and under. Sunday also is the final Kids Day of the year, presented by WVU Medicine, which features a Kids Zone, inflatables and Mr. Twister's Balloon Art and Face Painting, and kids can run the bases after the game. Additionally, Sunday is Cinco De Mayo at the ballpark, with free necklaces and shakers to the first 500 fans and $2.50 walking tacos.
 
Notes: West Virginia falls to 27-17 on the season, 10-10 in Big 12 play and 14-5 at home … The series loss snapped a stretch of five consecutive Big 12 series wins for WVU, its most series wins since joining the Big 12 in 2013 and the most consecutive series victories since the Mountaineers won six Big East series in a row in 2003.
 
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.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.