GRANVILLE, W.Va. - The West Virginia Black Bears secured a season high nine straight wins on Saturday evening, defeating the Trenton Thunder 9-8 at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
Starting pitcher Jake Lynch took the mound in his fifth start for the Black Bears. Allowing runners early in the first, Lynch got out of a bases-loaded jam with a 4-6-3 double play.
The Bears’ offense came out swinging with at least one run scored in each of the first four innings. In the first, the Bears took an early lead with four runs on five hits. Singles from Jace Rinehart and Will Rogers put a runner in scoring position with two outs. JT Carter followed with an RBI single that drove in Rinehart for a 1-0 lead. Alex Rodgers hit his first triple of the season, clearing the bases to put the Bears up 3-0. David Coppedge ended the inning with a single to go ahead by four.
Trenton mounted a small rally in the second to cut the West Virginia lead in half. The Thunder scored their first run of the game on a bases-loaded walk of Jackson Tucker. Jackson Van De Brake followed with a sacrifice fly that brought home Billy Sullivan to stay in the game.
West Virginia got a run back in the second. With the bases loaded, Judah Morris hit into an RBI double play that scored Kyle Ratliff for a 5-2 lead.
After holding Trenton to an empty frame in the top of the third, the Black Bears pushed their lead to four when Coppedge drove in Rodgers in the home half.
The Bears added insurance runs in the fourth on a three-run home run from Morris that put West Virginia ahead 9-2.
But Trenton refused to go quietly, holding the Black Bears scoreless through the final five innings, and scoring six to pull within one run. The Thunder scored three off starter Lynch in the top of the fifth. Consecutive base hits from Donovan Cash and CJ Willis, respectively, cut the Bears’ lead to four. In the final frame, the Thunder added three runs, taking advantage of closer Austin Eaton’s struggles on the mound. However, after putting the go-ahead run on first, Eaton’s defense recorded the final out to keep the win streak intact.
Black Bears outfielder Alex Rodgers led the team offense, going 2-2 with a triple, two runs and two RBI. The speedy Rodgers recorded three steals for 13 stolen bases this season. Jace Rinehart extended his hit streak to 11 before striking out in the bottom of the fifth. Rinehart went 2-4 with two runs. Judah Morris got his eighth home run of the season on a three-run shot in the fourth. A heavy hitter, Morris leads the league with the most home runs in the second half of the season.
With the win, the Bears (22-6) extend their streak to a season-high nine games, increasing their lead at the top of the MLB Draft League standings to 7.5 games ahead of Williamsport. The Black Bears return to Kendrick Family Ballpark on Sunday for the final game of the three-game series against the Thunder, aiming for thrid third straight sweep. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
