Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team opened its three-game series against No. 7 Texas Tech with a 7-2 loss on Friday night at Monongalia County Ballpark in Morgantown.
 
Texas Tech grabbed an early lead and never surrendered it in the opening game of the conference set. WVU scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the bases loaded with the tying run on-deck but could draw no closer. The Mountaineers (13-15, 4-6 Big 12) finished with two runs on eight hits with three errors, while the Red Raiders (25-7, 6-4 Big 12) tallied seven runs on nine hits with no errors.
 
Patrick Montverde earned the win for Tech, while senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf took the loss. Wolf allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits in 5.2 innings of work. The Gahanna, Ohio, native also tallied a career-high nine strikeouts.
 
"You have to give credit to (Monteverde) tonight," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "He went out and threw three pitches for strikes. He had three walks in the game, and they were all in the same inning. That was really the only legitimate scoring chance I thought we had for most of the game. He did what you're supposed to do – go out and throw strikes."
 
Texas Tech jumped on the scoreboard early with two runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. From there, Wolf responded with a 1-2-3 second inning, earning a pair of strikeouts. He also sent TTU down in order in the third.
 
WVU loaded the bases in the bottom of the second but couldn't score after a bang-bang play at first ended the chance. From there, Tech added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to make it 5-0. Then, the visitors scored once more in the sixth and seventh innings.
 
Trailing, 7-0, the Mountaineers tallied a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. First, sophomore catcher/infielder Matt McCormick singled up the middle, scoring senior catcher/outfielder Paul McIntosh. Two batters later, freshman outfielder Braden Barry's two-out, RBI double brought WVU within five.
 
West Virginia went on to load the bases and got the tying run on-deck before a strikeout ended the game.
 
McIntosh went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the setback, while McCormick finished 2-for-3 with a run and RBI. On the mound, redshirt sophomore right-hander Daniel Ouderkirk relieved Wolf in the sixth inning, before freshman right-hander Carlson Reed struck out four in 2.0 innings of hitless ball.
 
Junior left-hander Beau Lowery also saw action on Friday night.
 
Next up, the Mountaineers and Red Raiders meet in the middle game of this weekend's series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET.
 
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