Big First Inning Helps West Virginia Even the Series against Mahoning Valley
MLBDL West Virginia Black Bears

Big First Inning Helps West Virginia Even the Series against Mahoning Valley

Published on September 2, 2025 under Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release


GRANVILLE, W.Va. - The West Virginia Black Bears bounced back, evening the series with a 6-2 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Tuesday night. The Bears jumped ahead with a big first inning, scoring four runs to take a lead they never lost.

West Virginia took an early lead with four runs in the bottom of the first. After Jordan Peyton started the game with a strikeout, back-to-back walks of Drew Collins and Alex Ungar put runners on first and second. Jace Rinehart continued his record-breaking streak, hitting an RBI single that scored Collins to make it 1-0. Will Rogers followed Rinehart's lead with a three-run homer - his third of the season - for a four-run lead.

Starting pitcher Solomon Washington locked in, shutting down the Scrappers through the third. After allowing two hits in the first, Washington threw two 1-2-3 innings to hold Mahoning Valley off the bags.

The Bears went back to work in the third to take a six-run lead. David Coppedge got the inning started with a single before Landon Frei's RBI double brought him home for the fifth Black Bears' run. Alex Rodgers followed with a single that scored Frei to make it 6-0 game.

The Scrappers ended the Bears' shutout in the top of the seventh. Tommy Rover made it to second after Ungar dropped the ball in right field. A subsequent throwing error on Rinehart to LeJeune at first, scored Rover. The Scrappers added a run in the top of the eighth to cut the Bears' lead to four after Carson Hornung hit an RBI single.

Wes Burton entered in the ninth to close for West Virginia. Despite walking the lead-off batter, Burton struck out three straight Scrappers to end the threat of a rally.

Pitching took centerstage as the Black Bears punched out 11 batters in the win. The Bears' bullpen put on a dominant performance, striking out 10 while giving up just two runs on three hits in the final six innings. Joe Steeber led the defense with three strikeouts in his two-inning performance. Steeber picked up the win (2-0), improving to a 1.32 ERA.

Continuing to show his versatility, two-way player Will Rogers took top honors for the offense. Rogers finished 1-3 with three RBI and one run - all from his three-run homer in the first.

The Black Bears (29-14) return to Kendrick Family Ballpark for the final game of the 2025 regular season on Wednesday evening before hitting the road for Happy Valley, Pa., and the MLB Draft League Championship game against the State College Spikes on Thursday. First pitch for tomorrow's final home game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

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Major League Baseball Draft League Stories from September 2, 2025


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