:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63849730/Manoah_6.0.jpg)
#17 West Virginia Mountaineers: 10
George Washington Colonials: 1
A big 3rd inning propelled West Virginia to a series opening rout of George Washington on Thursday night. Alek Manoah, WVU’s star right-hander and soon-to-be 1st round pick, claimed the school record for strikeouts in a single season (125), while Darius Hill hit his record-breaking 74th double in the bottom of the 8th.
The record-breaking strikeout for Alek Manoah. #HailWV pic.twitter.com/WB6R7qy0Pc
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) May 16, 2019
Another record! Career double No. 7⃣4⃣ for Darius Hill, the most in Mountaineer history!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/nLc1Euk3yY
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) May 17, 2019
Coach Randy Mazey was keeping Manoah on a pitch count in tonight’s ballgame so he would be fully rested when WVU kicks off the Big XII Tournament next Wednesday in Oklahoma City. He kept the big righty in until he broke the school record for strikeouts, and then removed him after 3.2 innings, allowing the crowd at Monongalia County Ballpark to give him a standing ovation in potentially his final appearance in his home uniform.
The bullpen was fantastic behind Manoah, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings with contributions from Ryan Bergert, Zach Ottinger, Gabe Kurtzhals and Zach Reid.
WVU scored 7 runs in the 3rd inning to blow this one up and out of reach of a comeback. The Mountaineers used 6 hits, 1 walk and 2 stolen bases to plate those runs, batting completely around the lineup and forcing GW to go to their bullpen much earlier than they had hoped to.
These two teams will play each other again on Friday at 6:30PM and Saturday at 2PM. On Sunday evening, the Big XII Conference will announce the seeding for next week’s tournament, where WVU could finish anywhere from 3rd-5th, depending on how things shake out this weekend.
Come cheer on your boys and let’s finish the season strong!