NILES, OH – On the road at Eastwood Field, the West Virginia Black Bears defeated the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in game one of two on Monday evening. After two tough losses at home against the Trenton Thunder, the Bears bounced back with a strong offensive performance, picking up 14 base hits on the way to the 10-9 win.
Alex Brewer got the start for West Virginia, taking the mound after the Bears went down in order in the top of the first. Looking to get ahead early, Mahoning Valley scored four runs in the bottom of the inning. KBO League slugger Chang-Yong Lee singled to score Blake McRae, and a triple from Zach Ketterman brought home Lee for a 3-0 lead. A double from Dreylin Holmes plated Ketterman with two outs on the board. The Scrappers’ advance ended on a ground out to first with the Black Bears trailing by four.
West Virginia went to work in the top of the third, plating five runs to take the lead. With the bases loaded, Trace Willhoite doubled on a fly ball deep to center field to bring in Chris Einemann, Alex Vergara and J.T. Marr. The next at-bat, Jeff Liquori sent a long ball over the right-center wall for a two-run homer. A groundout ended the inning, but not before the Bears took a 5-4 lead.
Keeping the momentum going, West Virginia extended the lead to two in the fourth. A single from Einemann put him on base, but he advanced to third on pick-off attempt that turned into a throwing error by Scrappers’ catcher Drew Dirksen. Williams picked up his first RBI on a sac-fly popped up to center field that scored Einemann.
Jeff Liquori continued to mash at the plate with a single that took the Bears up 7-4 in the top of the fifth. With Vergara on second after a single off reliever Miles Hellums, Liquori slapped a grounder to right field to score Vergara for his third RBI. Heading into the home half, the Bears led by three.
Mahoning Valley chipped away at the deficit, pulling within two in the bottom of the inning. A.J. Stinson took the mound for Brewer, striking out two in quick succession. Then Holmes sent a solo shot deep to center field to cut the lead to 7-5. Stinson and the defense recorded the final out on a bunt fielded by catcher Dayne Leonard, holding a two-run lead heading into the sixth.
After a quiet inning, West Virginia picked up steam once again to take a five-run lead over two innings. A double from Lipscomb alum Willhoite scored Marr for run number eight in the top of the seventh. The next inning, the Bears got the jump on reliever A.J. Riddle, picking up back-to-back singles from McGuire and Einemann. A sac-bunt by Williams advanced both runners before Jack O’Dowd sent them home on an RBI single.
The Scrappers rallied in the bottom of the eighth off bullpen pitcher Noah Manning. Four consecutive base hits – including a double off the bat of Lee – scored three runs to bring the Scrappers within two. The Bears broke the cycle with two quick outs, but a single from Holmes brought home Lee and cut the lead to 10-9. With the tying run on first, manager David Carpenter made a call to the bullpen, sending in Conner Mackay for Manning after 0.2 innings pitched. Mackay recorded the third out on a strikeout to keep the Bears’ tenuous hold on the game intact.
Mackay remained on the bump to face the Scrappers in the final frame. Williams made a diving catch for the first out, and Vergara made short work of a pop-up to center field for out number two. Mackay got the final out on a full-count strikeout to seal the Black Bears’ win.
On an explosive night at the plate, the Bears tallied 14 hits in their 10-run win. Going four-for-five at the dish with three RBI, Jeff Liquori led the Bears’ charge with force during Monday’s contest. The Lake Mary, Florida, native was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, with a double in the second, a home run in the third, and an RBI single in the fifth. Trace Willhoite continued his second-half dominance with a game-high four RBI. Adding to his league-leading .400 batting average, the third baseman picked up two hits in his four at-bats.
Making two spectacular plays in crucial moments of the game, T.J. Williams scaled the outfield wall to rob third baseman Drew Holderbach of extra bases in the seventh. In the bottom of the ninth, the former Notre Dame outfielder made a diving catch to keep the Scrappers off the bases.
Pitcher A.J. Stinson got his first win of the season with seven strikeouts in his three-inning appearance. The 2023 Black Bear allowed one run on three hits, giving up a home run to Holmes. Conner Mackay recorded the save with two strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work including the final out of the game.
Mahoning Valley threatened to take control of the game with 12 hits of its own, attempting a comeback in the eighth. Dreylin Holmes notched three hits and three RBI and a home run in four appearances, while KBO League player, Chang-Yong Lee went two-for-five with two runs and two RBI.
The Black Bears return to Eastwood Field for game two of the three-game series with the Scrappers on Tuesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
