GRANVILLE, W.Va. – The West Virginia Black Bears dropped the first game of the series against the Frederick Keys by six runs at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Friday evening. After getting swept by Mahoning Valley, the Bears’ rough patch continued with the 7-1 loss.
It was a tough night for the Bears as they were held to six hits and struggled to advance a runner past first. The Bears finished 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, held to only one extra base hit – a double by Judah Morris in the bottom of the sixth.
The Bears fell behind 1-0 in the second after Keys’ right fielder Trey Lipsey singled to score Bronson Rivera. The Bears got a solid outing from starting pitcher Solomon Washington, who held the Keys to three runs while striking out five.
The Bears got on the board in the third to tie it. Landon Frei got the inning started with a walk before advancing to second after a balk by the Keys pitcher. A single by Jace Rinehart pushed the runner to the corner before Morris’s single scored Frei to knot the game at one.
The game remained tied until Frederick broke through in the top of the sixth. Parks Bouck hit an RBI triple to score Jamal Ritter. Rivera followed with a sacrifice fly to score Bouck to give the Keys a 3-1 lead.
Frederick pulled away in the seventh. A wild pitch by Bears’ Justin Needles scored Cam Hassert from third to make it 4-1. Bouck struck again with a two-run single, scoring Irvin Escobar and Ritter to extend the Keys’ lead to five. The Keys tacked on one final run the next inning after shortstop Cam Hassert hit an RBI double to score Trey Lipsey to make it 7-1 Keys.
With the loss, the Black Bears (23-10) have dropped four straight, and their lead atop the standings has shrunk to six and a half games. West Virginia returns to Kendrick Family Ballpark on Saturday for the final game of the two-game series against the Frederick Keys. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
