Sports stats

NYPL West Virginia Black Bears

Black Bears Walk off to the All-Star Break in Fashion

August 12, 2018 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release


Granville, WV - The West Virginia Black Bears will head into the All-Star Break with plenty of momentum after coming from behind to defeat the Mahoning Valley Scrappers 8-7 in extra innings. This completed the sweep of the abbreviated two-game series at Monongalia County Ballpark.

After a throwing error from Black Bears starting pitcher Alex Manasa in the first inning gifted the Scrappers a 1-0 lead, both pitchers settled into a groove early, each cruising through the next four innings without allowing a run.

It wasn't until the bottom of the fifth when West Virginia's offense made its presence felt, starting with a leadoff single from New York Penn League All-Star 3B Mike Gretler.

A throwing error on a perfectly placed bunt from C Grant Koch scored Gretler to tie things up, and a bases loaded RBI single from 1B Luke Mangieri gave the Black Bears a 2-1 lead, their first of the afternoon.

With the bases still loaded, LF Danny Amaral made sure to clear them with a three RBI triple to break things open and give the Black Bears a 5-1 lead. The triple gave Amaral five RBI's for the series and 12 for the season.

Mahoning Valley didn't waste time answering back, pushing six runs across the board in the top of the sixth inning to take a 7-5 lead and forcing the Black Bears to go to the bullpen. Manasa finished with five innings and six runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking one.

Both teams went scoreless until the bottom of the eighth, when a two run opposite field homerun from Koch tied the game up at 7-7 and set the stage for some late inning dramatics. The homer was Koch's second of the season.

With neither team able to take a lead in regulation, the Black Bears ventured into extra inning's for the first time at home this season.

A sacrifice fly from the Scrappers in the top of the tenth gave Mahoning Valley an 8-7 lead and put the pressure firmly on West Virginia's offense to answer back.

They didn't take long, with Brett Kinneman leading off the bottom of the tenth with a two run blast over the right field wall to give the Black Bear's a 9-8 victory and the sweep over the Scrappers. The homerun was the second of Kinneman's season and his team-leading 30th and 31st RBI.

With the win, West Virginia improves to 21-35 on the season, while Mahoning Valley drops to 32-22.

The Black Bears will take two days off for the All-Star break before heading to New York for a two game series against the Batavia Muckdogs starting Wednesday, August 15. CF Travis Swaggerty and pitcher Cam Alldred will join Gretler as West Virginia's representatives in the All-Star game Tuesday, August 14 in State College.

Check out the West Virginia Black Bears Statistics



New York-Penn League Stories from August 12, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent West Virginia Black Bears Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central