NYPL West Virginia Black Bears

Muckdogs Hold off Black Bear Comeback

Published on August 5, 2018 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release


Returning to Granville for a three-game series at Monongalia County Ballpark, the West Virginia Black Bears were edged out by the Batavia Muckdogs 6-5.

The Black Bears offense came out of its shell, picking up eleven hits as the team nearly returned from an early five-run deficit.

Batavia got things started in the first inning, leading off the game with three runs. An RBI single and a two-run homer gave the visiting team an early advantage in the Sunday afternoon matchup.

The Muckdogs added to the lead in second inning, scoring another run on a wild pitch. After a solo home run in the top of the fourth put the score at 5-0, West Virginia came to bat looking to make up some ground.

That's exactly what the Black Bears did in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on the corners, a DH Edison Lantigua groundball led to a Batavia fielding error to bring home the team's first run.

2B Paul Brands followed up with an RBI single to right field, putting the score at 5-2 after four innings.

The next three innings belonged to West Virginia relief pitcher Ryan Valdes. The righty was dominant on the mound, striking out four batters and walking one other without surrendering a hit.

While Valdes held the opposition at bay, the Black Bears were busy putting runs on the board. In the bottom of the sixth, West Virginia scored via a Muckdogs' error on a stolen base attempt. As Brands attempted to steal second, the catcher's throw sailed into the outfield, bringing a runner around from third base to put the score at 5-3.

Batavia struggled in the field all afternoon, relinquishing four errors in the game as opposed to one from the hometown Black Bears.

Then in the bottom of the seventh inning, RF Brett Kinneman made it a one-run ballgame. With a runner on first, the Pirates' seventh round pick crushed a double to centerfield to make it a 5-4 ballgame.

With the comeback afoot, West Virginia turned the game over to P John Pomeroy in the eighth inning, and he did not disappoint. The tall righty struck out three batters, allowing just one hit to keep his team in striking distance.

After a long silence, the Muckdogs got back in the run column in the top of the ninth. An RBI double gave Batavia an insurance run, putting the score at 6-4.

West Virginia kept fighting bottom of the ninth. 3B Mike Gretler started things off with double down the third base line, and Kinneman followed with his second RBI double of the day to bring the deficit back to one run.

Despite showing some late-inning grit, West Virginia was unable to complete the comeback. Batavia got the final groundout to end the game, taking the first game of the series.

Both teams are back in action tomorrow night for game two at Monongalia County Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Check out the West Virginia Black Bears Statistics

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New York-Penn League Stories from August 5, 2018


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