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MLBDL West Virginia Black Bears

West Virginia Sweeps Frederick at the Mon with a 4-3 Victory

July 6, 2022 - Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release


GRANVILLE, W.Va. - The West Virginia Bears extended their win streak to six games as they defeated the Frederick Keys, 4-3, at Monongalia County Ballpark on a humid Wednesday evening. In another pitching duel with Frederick, West Virginia came out on top, allowing only four hits the entire game. With the win, the Bears have now swept the last two teams they've played and won three of the last four series.

In the first three innings both teams remained scoreless as they made soft contact in the infield that produced routine ground balls. With just 27 pitches, West Virginia's starter Matthew Tieding did not allow a hit through the first three innings. Tieding held the Keys scoreless through his four-inning appearance, giving up only one hit with one strikeout.

Key's RHP Geo Rivera did his part in keeping West Virginia at bay through his four innings of work, despite allowing a towering double from LF Blaze Brothers in the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the fourth Rivera struck out the side and finished with two hits and four strikeouts.

Finally in the fifth inning, the Bears began to produce at the plate. Sam Antonacci started with a lead-off single to left field. On a hit-and-run call to the right side of the infield, 3B Gehrig Anglin advanced Antonacci to third with a single off Keys' reliever Zak Szabo. Gurney was the first player to crack the Keys' defense with a sac-fly that scored Antonaccci and gave West Virginia a 1-0 lead. Savier Pinales continued the rally with a standup double that scored Anglin to make it 2-0. The explosive fifth inning did not end there, as 1B Ryan Hernandez extended the inning with a two-out RBI double that scored Pinales from second base. Heading into the sixth, the Black Bears led the Keys 3-0.

Vanderbilt product and left handed pitcher, Brett Hansen(2 IP, 2 K) replaced Tieding on the hill in the fifth. During his outing, Hansen did not allow a hit or run and earned two strikeouts on 14 pitches. Hansen picked up his first win of the season with his strong two-inning appearance.

However, Frederick did not go quietly as the Keys began to cut into the three-run deficit in the eighth. After Bears' RHP Chase Smith walked two batters to begin the inning, a groundout from CF Daniel Figueroa advanced runners into scoring position before a second groundout from 3B Harold Coll allowed the first Keys' run of the game. In the next at-bat, RF Dominic Freeburger recorded the team's second RBI with a single up the middle that scored 2B Dylan Hoy to make it a one-run game.

West Virginia struck back in the bottom of the inning as RF Marek Chlup singled in the eighth and stole third after tagging up to second. A sac-fly from Anglin plated Chlup to give the Bears a 4-2 lead heading into the ninth.

Crowd favorite and West Virginia University alum Trey Braithwaite entered for the save opportunity to make it six consecutive wins. Braithwaite collected his fourth save for the Bears as well as adding two more strikeouts to his total for 21 on the season. With the save, Braithwaite (1.80 ERA) solidified his place in the MLB Draft League with the most saves in 2022 in just 10 innings pitched.

On a night with only four runs, eight Black Bears recorded at least one hit in the 11-hit game, with Brothers, Antonacci and Gurney notching two hits each.

West Virginia maintains its second-place ranking in the MLB Draft League standings, sitting just one game behind the first-place Williamsport Crosscutters. After a Thursday off-day, the Bears hit the road for a three-game weekend series against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Niles, OH. West Virginia returns for a six-game home stand beginning Monday, July 11, on the Black Bears t-shirt giveaway night.

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