Black Bears Win Home Opener
June 5, 2012 - West Coast League (WCL)
Cowlitz Black Bears News Release
Longview: June 5, 2012: A dominant performance from the Black Bears pitching staff and two sacrifice flies by Kyle Kuck (Santa Ana) lifted the ballclub to their first victory of the season Tuesday, a 2-0 non-league win over the Portland Ports.
The Black Bears took the lead in the bottom half of the first inning thanks to alert baserunning by Cody Childs (Mt Hood). After taking a walk, he hustled to third on an error by the shortstop, enabling him to score on Kuck's first sac fly. Cole Irvin (Oregon) started on the mound in his first appearance as a Black Bear and showed great command, throwing three scoreless innings and striking out five.
Taylor Williams (Mt Hood) then took over and dominated, pitching five hitless innings and striking out four. Cowlitz added an insurance run in the eighth inning due to the speed of Derrick Salberg (Lower Columbia), who beat out an infield hit, stole second, and eventually scored on another Kuck sac fly. Kody Watts (U of Portland) came on in the ninth and got out of a first-and-second jam to seal the victory.
Black Bears Manager Tim Matz was enthused with the victory. "We didn't have our best stuff at the plate tonight but I'm proud of how smart and opportunistic we played," he said. "These are the type of games we need to be able to win and this bodes well for the rest of the season."
The Black Bears next game is Wednesday at David Story Field, where it will be Burgerville Family Night. Fans can purchase four general admission tickets, four sodas, and four hot dogs for only $32.00. Also, the first 500 fans through the gates will receive a magnetic schedule presented by Three Rivers Mall.
2012 Cowlitz Black Bears Ticket Packages are available by calling (360) 703-3195 or please visit us on-line at www.cowlitzblackbears.com
The Black Bears are members of the West Coast League, a nine-team, professional style wood-bat summer college league. The WCL features pro prospects from major conferences across the country. More than 120 WCL alums played affiliated professional baseball last season, and 14 ex-WCL stars played in the Major Leagues. For more information on the league, visit www.westcoastleague.com .
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