NYPL West Virginia Black Bears

Black Bears Battle, Fall Short against the Scrappers

June 20, 2019 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release


Granville, WV - It was Princess and Pirates Night at the Monongalia County Ballpark, and despite a strong showing in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Black Bears' hopes of a fairytale comeback were dashed as they came up short against Mahoning Valley 7-4. The evening also marked the professional debuts of four of the Pirates 2019 draft picks.

Mahoning Valley got off to an early lead as they scored a run in each of the first two innings on RBI singles by Michael Cooper in the first and Korey Holland in the second. They added on in the third inning with three more runs, followed by one in the fourth and the fifth to take a 7-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Black Bears bats came alive and they got on the board with an RBI single by second baseman Kyle Mottice. Designated hitter Nick Patten followed with an RBI double, and left fielder Brett Kinneman capped off the four-run inning with a two-run double to cut the lead to 7-4.

"I was just looking for a fastball on the outer third of the plate, something I can handle," said Kinneman. "Just fortunate to put a good swing on that and was fortunate enough for the guys in front of me to have good at bats and get on base."

West Virginia threatened a comeback in the eighth inning when centerfielder Blake Sabol and third baseman Zack Kone walked but were left stranded. Three runs would be all the closer the Black Bears would get as the Scrappers tied up the series after the Black Bears ran away with game one Tuesday night.

Black Bears Manager, Drew Saylor, was happy with the heart that his team showed after falling behind early.

"At the end of the day I was really excited about the fight in our guys," said Saylor. "I really thought there were a lot of good at bats, a lot of hard contact. It's one of those things we've been talking about, enduring the ups and downs of a game, being focused on our process."

West Virginia also had four players drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft make their professional debuts in the game. Shortstop Jared Triolo was drafted as a Competitive Round B pick out of the University of Houston. Blake Sabol, a seventh round pick out of University of Southern California, played centerfield and went 0-2 but drew two walks. Catcher Kyle Wilkie, a 12th round pick out of Clemson, started behind the plate and went 1-for-4 with a single and a stolen base in the sixth inning. Right handed pitcher Austin Roberts, an eighth round pick out of Sacramento State, pitched a scoreless eighth inning striking out two of the three batters he faced.

The Black Bears and Scrappers will play the rubber game of the series tomorrow night at Monongalia County Ballpark with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

There will be a postgame fireworks show sponsored by Morgantown CVB immediately following the game to celebrate West Virginia Day. For more information or ticket options, call (304) 293-7653 or visit www.westvirginiablackbears.com.

Check out the West Virginia Black Bears Statistics



New York-Penn League Stories from June 20, 2019


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