KENNESAW, Ga. — Alek Manoah struck out 13 batters over six innings, a dominant performance that went to waste thanks to a letdown by West Virginia’s bullpen and a key error.
Kennesaw State rallied for three runs in the seventh to deal the Mountaineers a 5-3 loss in Friday’s baseball season opener.
The junior Manoah left with a 3-2 lead, having thrown 58 of 79 pitches for strikes. He issued no walks, a stark contrast to his wildness of 2018.
This time the control problems belonged to left-hander Nick Snyder (0-1), who hit a batter and walked two more to create a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the seventh. When Beau Lowery coaxed a potential rally-killing double-play grounder, WVU got the force at second base before a throwing error by Tyler Doanes allowed two runs to score.
Garrett Hodges followed with an RBI single, his second run-scoring hit of the day for Kennesaw State.
Though West Virginia got a runner aboard in the ninth, but Jake McLinskey earned the save by snaring Tristen Hudson’s line drive and turning it into an unassisted double play.
“I think there were some first-game jitters,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “We’re going to play almost all close games, and you have to be able to do the things in baseball that help you win games — throw strikes, play defense and hit at the right time. I thought we got some big hits, but didn’t throw strikes when we needed to and didn’t play defense when we needed to.”
Ivan Gonzalez put West Virginia up 3-1 in the sixth with a two-run single.
Darius Hill tripled in West Virginia’s first at-bat and scored on groundout by Paul McIntosh.
Kevin Brophy’s two-out throwing error in the fifth helped Kennesaw State knot the game at 1-1 when Alex Carballo followed with an RBI single.
Manoah struck out five of the first six batters he faced before escaping a bases-loaded situation in the third by fanning Hodges. He allowed five hits.
“We knew he was going to be like that. He’s been throwing the ball really well all spring,” Mazey said. “That’s going to be him, he’s a strike-thrower now with great stuff. He’s going to give us a chance to win every time he goes out there.”
Jared Staples (1-0) pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Owls, who were picked fifth in the nine-team Atlantic Sun preseason poll.
Doanes and Marquis Inman had two hits each for the Mountaineers, who play a doubleheader Saturday against Georgia State and Georgia Tech.