Braden Zarbnisky silenced the Kansas State bats late and factored heavily into a four-run, eighth-inning uprising as No. 21 West Virginia won the series opener 9-7 on Friday night in Manhattan, Kan.
Leadoff man Kyle Gray drove in four runs as the Mountaineers (23-13, 9-4) surged to their fourth win in five games, remaining one game out of first place in the Big 12 standings.
Kansas State (19-19, 2-11), which committed two early errors that led to three unearned runs, has dropped six of seven conference home games.
Zarbnisky (5-0) struck out the side in the ninth to cap 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, playing the stopper after BJ Myers and middle reliever Jackson Sigman struggled.