GRANVILLE, W.Va. - The West Virginia Black Bears lost the second game of the series to the Frederick Keys 6-3 at Kendrick Family Ballpark. The Black Bears could not overcome an early Keys’ lead on Saturday evening, dropping their first game since starting the six-game home stand.
The Keys picked up where they left off on Friday night with a strong offensive performance in the first. Brody Fahr doubled on a line drive to right field, and the walk of Brandon Hylton put two Keys on with one out. A single from Sam Ruta scored Fahr from second to give Frederick the lead. The next at-bat, Keenan Taylor singled to score Hylton before Bears’ starter Aric McAtee ended the inning with a strikeout.
Frederick added two runs in the second to take a three-run lead. Darryl Buggs rounded the bases after reaching on a full-count walk. Buggs stole second and third, finally crossing home on a groundout at first. A walk of Fahr and a single from Hylton put runners on the corners, and Michael Campagna scored them both on a double to center field. Heading into the home half of the inning, the Bears trailed 5-0.
Clawing back into the game, the Black Bears responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Lead-off hitter Trace Willhoite roped a single to left, and Alex Vergara followed with a base hit. Keys’ starting pitcher Nate Lamb walked Kendal Ewell to load the bases, before allowing the first Bears’ run on a wild pitch that plated Willhoite. With two runners in scoring position, Dayne Leonard recorded an RBI groundout to cut the lead to three.
After sitting the Frederick order down in the top of the inning, West Virginia chipped away at the deficit in the bottom of third. Vergara picked up his first RBI on a single that brought in Furr from second to bring the score to 5-3. A mound visit ensued, and Lamb pulled the Keys out of the inning with two successive outs.
Campagna got the run back the next inning on a line drive fielded by T.J. Williams. Tremayne Cobb Jr. who reached on a single, trotted across the plate to put the Keys back up by three in the fourth.
Five scoreless innings followed as the Black Bears struggled to plate a runner. West Virginia went down on a 3-6 double play in the bottom of the fourth and then stranded Jack O’Dowd in the fifth frame after Vergara struck out swinging. Designated hitter Ryan Grabosch got into scoring position after reaching on a walk in the sixth inning, but he was left on base after two quick outs. Two additional runners were stranded in the seventh inning, and the Keys retired the order in the following frame.
A last-chance rally plated one run in the ninth. Furr’s two-out double was turned into a run the next at-bat as O’Dowd picked up an RBI single. But the comeback ended as Willhoite popped out to Cobb.
Despite the loss, Kasten Furr impressed with three hits in his five plate appearances, scoring two runs for the Bears. Alex Vergara got two hits with a run and an RBI, while Jack O’Dowd picked up two and an RBI in the bottom of the ninth.
Aric McAtee was credited with his third loss of the season after allowing six runs on seven hits. McAtee picked up six strikeouts in his 4.0 innings pitched. Reliever A.J. Stinson put in three solid innings of work through the middle of the contest, allowing one hit with two punchouts. Noah Manning limited the Keys’ damage with two hitless, scoreless innings to close the game.
West Virginia returns for the rubber match against Frederick on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.
