Three Home Runs Lead the Bears to 7-5 Win over the Scrappers
September 2, 2024 - Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release
GRANVILLE, W.Va. - The West Virginia Black Bears clawed out a 7-5 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Monday evening. After trailing by five heading into the bottom of the third, the Bears dropped seven unanswered runs on the Scrappers with Alex Vergara hitting two homers in the win.
Looking to dash West Virginia's post-season hopes, Mahoning Valley struck first with a run in the second. Drew Holderbach led off with a base hit and stole second before coming home on a double from Jake Tsukada. Starting pitcher Brenton Thiels punched out two, and a throw from Trace Willhoite to Jack O'Dowd on first stopped the Scrappers' advance.
After the Black Bears stranded catcher J.T. Marr in the second, the Scrappers came back for four runs in the third. Facing the top of the order, Thiels walked Jake Allgeyer and gave up a single to Dreylin Holmes to put Scrappers on the corners. Holmes stole second to put two in scoring position, and a groundout from Kota Suzuki brought home Allgeyer. Chang-Yong Lee grounded a ball to right field to score Holmes. With Lee on second after a successful steal, Holderbach sent a solo shot to the ticket office roof for a two-run homer. The Bears' defense pulled it together to record the final two outs, but they headed into the home-half trailing 5-0.
West Virginia went to work in the bottom of the inning. A double from Alex Vergara and a single from O'Dowd put the Bears 90-feet from their first run. Willhoite got an RBI-base hit on a ground ball fielded at third, reaching just before the throw to first. Jeff Liquori joined with a double that bounced down the line and stayed fair to score O'Dowd for run number three. A mound visit calmed Scrappers' starter Cole Chimenti, and Mahoning Valley ended the frame ahead by two.
Thiels and the Bears' defense held the Scrappers scoreless in the fourth as the offense clawed their way back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Following a Connor McGuire single, Vergara drove him in from first base with a deep ball that landed just left of the home bullpen. Kasten Furr grounded out to send the game into the fifth tied at five.
Two home runs in the seventh inning put West Virginia ahead by two. Vergara continued to rake, leading off with his second home run of the game to take the lead. Mahoning Valley picked up two outs, but Willhoite extended the inning with a long ball to center field. Heading into the eighth, West Virginia led 7-5.
The Black Bears' bullpen shut out the Scrappers through the final two innings. Stinson retired the order in the eighth, and despite hitting Blake McRae with a pitch in the top of the ninth, closer Noah Manning picked up two strikeouts to end the game.
On a night with 11 team hits, Alex Vergara dominated Monday's contest. The former Lipscomb Bison smashed two homers for five on the season, scoring both the tying and go-ahead runs in the fourth and seventh innings, respectively. Vergara finished his evening three-for-four at the plate with three RBI. His former Bison teammate, Trace Willhoite, continued to drop bombs with a solo shot in the seventh for his third home run in as many games. Willhoite, Lipscomb's all-time leading home run hitter, recorded a pair of hits with two runs scored and two driven in. Jeff Liquori added to his league-leading total of 49 RBI with two RBI on two hits.
After taking over for starter Brenton Thiels, A.J. Stinson posted 3.1 hitless, scoreless frames for his third win. Stinson, a returner from the 2023 Championship team, punched out four in his 13th appearance. Thiels, who completed 4.2 innings in his sixth start, allowed five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Noah Manning recorded his first save with a blank ninth inning, striking out two. Though the Bears struggled early, the bullpen struck out 10 with one walk.
West Virginia stays alive in the standings with the win over Mahoning Valley, still trailing the first-place Trenton Thunder by one game with two remaining.
The Black Bears return to Kendrick Family Ballpark for the second game of the series and the penultimate game of the season on Tuesday evening. First pitch for the final "2sDay at the Park" featuring two-dollar concession deals is set for 6:30 p.m.
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