NYPL West Virginia Black Bears

West Virginia Roars Back on Williamsport

Published on August 19, 2018 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release


Granville, W. Va. - On a beautiful Sunday evening in Granville, the West Virginia Black Bears roared back to defeat the Williamsport Crosscutters 5-4 in the tenth inning.

West Virginia has won its last two extra-innings contests at Monongalia County Ballpark, defeating the Mahoning Scrappers on August 12 by a score of 9-8 with the help of a walk-off homer from Brett Kinneman.

The Crosscutters jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first, scoring two runs on a single to left field. The visitors added another run in the third inning on a solo homer to put the score at 3-0 in the early going.

Then in the bottom of the sixth, the Black Bears got on the board. After RF Daniel Amaral blooped a triple into shallow right field, LF Edison Lantigua drove him home on an RBI single to for West Virginia's first run of the ballgame.

A fielding error on a 1B Kyle Watson grounder brought another run around to score for the home team, making it a 3-2 ballgame after six innings.

SS Zack Kone tied up the game in the bottom of the seventh. The first-year pro rocketed a single up the middle, driving home 2B Melvin Jimenez from second to knot the score at 3-3.

While the offense helped claw the Black Bears back into the game, the bullpen came in clutch in the final four innings of regulation. Relief pitchers Shea Murray, Eric Gardner and Francis Del Orbe combined for four innings of shutout work in that time, allowing only one hit to hold off the Williamsport lineup.

West Virginia threatened in the bottom of the ninth with two runners on base, but couldn't drive in a run as the game went to extra innings.

Starting the top of the tenth inning with a runner on second, the Crosscutters retook the lead. A sacrifice bunt and a single to left field put the home team down 4-3 with three outs to find a spark.

In the bottom of the tenth, 1B Kyle Watson came in clutch for the Black Bears. With runners on the corners, Watson roped a single into left-center field to bring one run around to score. The Williamsport outfield misplayed the hit, as the ball traveled underneath a fielder's glove to allow 3B Ben Bengston to score from first base to give West Virginia the series victory.

The Black Bears remain at home to begin another three-game series tomorrow against the Batavia Muckdogs, with first pitch for game one scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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New York-Penn League Stories from August 19, 2018


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