West Virginia hoped to build momentum after a seven-run victory against Cincinnati on Thursday to begin the Big 12 Baseball Championship.
Instead, the Mountaineers were handled Friday by Arizona, which got four hits in as many at bats from Mason White, who belted a pair of home runs and drove in six runs to spark the Wildcats in their 12-1 victory at Globe Life Field.
White’s first home run gave Arizona, the No. 4 seed, a 1-0 lead in the first inning. His next round-tripper came in the fifth and upped a two-run Wildcats’ advantage to 5-0.
The No. 1 seed Mountaineers (41-14) generated their lone run in the seventh on a Chase Swain single, at which time they trailed 10-1.
Jack Kartsonas took the loss for WVU after allowing five runs on eight hits over four innings. The Mountaineers used seven relief pitchers after Kartsonas exited.
Arizona (38-18) got a strong start from pitcher Raul Garayzar, who threw six scoreless frames, striking out three and scattering six hits.
Adonys Guzman added three hits and drove in three runs in the victory.
Sam White, Armani Guzman and Logan Suave had two hits apiece in defeat for WVU, which finished with 10 hits.
The Mountaineers now await their seeding and destination in the NCAA Tournament, which will be revealed Monday.
