Photo by Ron Rittenhouse/The Dominion Post WVU relief pitcher Ian Korn went three innings and allowed three hits and one run against Columbia on Friday.

MORGANTOWN — Columbia took the first of a three-game series against No. 23 West Virginia, following a 7-4 victory Friday inside Kendrick Family Ballpark, handing the Mountaineers their first two-game losing streak along the way.

Game 2 is scheduled for noon today and the final game is set for 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

The Lions (2-5) dominated early, taking a 5-0 lead in the second inning against WVU starter Dawson Montesa. Ben Fishel doubled down the left field line to score two runs and teammate Jack Kail hit a bases-loaded single back up the middle to score two more.

That inning finally came to a close after Owen Estabrook singled home another run, but Kail was thrown out at the plate trying to add to the lead.

Columbia starting pitcher Alex Sotiropoulos picked up his first win of the season while baffling WVU hitters. He threw 98 pitches over 5 1/3 innings and allowed just three hits and one earned run, while walking three. Three Columbia relief pitchers combined to allow just two more hits the rest of the way and Payton Soske earned his first save of the year.

Soske gave up a leadoff triple to WVU outfielder Brock Wills in the ninth, but then struck out Brodie Kresser and Tyrus Hall and Matt Ineich grounded out to second base to end the game.

It was WVU’s first game since announcing earlier in the week that all-Big 12 pitcher Chase Meyer had been removed from the team, and the Mountaineers (8-3) have now lost two in a row, following Sunday’s 7-6 loss at Kennesaw State.

Meyer wouldn’t have been able to help much in this game, unless he also doubled as a hitter, because the Mountaineers needed more of those.

WVU’s five hits were a season low and the Mountaineers went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Columbia, the defending IVY League champions from last season, also added a run in the fifth and ninth innings. Jackson Brewer had an RBI double for the Lions in the ninth to highlight those scores.

None of West Virginia’s four runs were scored on a hit. Sean Smith scored on a groundball out and Kresser scored on a throwing error in the fifth inning.

Armani Guzman scored on a wild pitch in the sixth and Kresser scored again in the seventh on a sacrifice fly.

It was Montesa’s worst outing of the season. He was charged with five runs and five hits over four innings. He walked three and struck out five. WVU relief pitcher Ian Korn and Reese Bassinger combined to allow five more hits and two more runs over five innings.