GRANVILLE, W.Va. – The West Virginia Black Bears delivered a masterful performance in their seven-run comeback against the Williamsport Crosscutters at Kendrick Family Ballpark, winning 15-8. With the win, the Black Bears clinched a championship berth and will travel to State College to play the Spikes in the MLB Draft League championship game on September 4.
The Bears faced a heavy deficit after the Crosscutters tagged starter Jake Lynch for six runs in the first and a home run in the second.
Without hesitation, West Virginia erupted for four runs in the bottom of the second. Jake Berg hit an RBI single to score Alex Ungar and Will Rogers made it a five-run game. The Bears cut the Cutters’ lead to three with Landon Frei’s two-run home run, his second homer of the season.
The Bears continue to claw away at the Crosscutters lead, cutting it down to two in the bottom of the third after a double-steal attempt by Rogers. Though Rogers was thrown out attempting to reach second, the effort allowed Ungar to score.
Three runs in the fourth gave the Black Bears the lead. After loading the bases, Williamsport walked Drew Collins and Jace Rinehart to tie the game at seven. West Virginia took the 8-7 lead with the walk of Judah Morris.
Williamsport tied it in the top of the fifth on a Rayth Petersen single that scored former Black Bear DeMarckus Smiley. But the Bears' bullpen shut down any further attempts at scoring, holding them hitless for the rest of the game while allowing just one walk.
A sac-fly in the bottom of the sixth gave the Bears a 9-8 lead as Collins came in to score. Determined to return to the championship game, the Bears padded their lead with six runs the following inning to secure the win. Berg stole home for a two-run lead before Rinehart’s RBI single scored Frei and Jordan Peyton. Morris doubled to score Rinehart, and the bases-loaded walk of JT Carter scored Morris for the 15-8 lead. Closer Wes Burton slammed the door shut with three strikeouts to end the game.
After a rough start, Jake Lynch pitched two straight shutout innings to finish his day, going four innings while giving up seven runs on nine hits. The bullpen threw an amazing five innings, giving up one run on one hit, while striking out seven Crosscutters.
The Bears secured their championship berth with 14 hits and 11 walks in Tuesday’s contest. For the second straight night, Jace Rinehart was the star of the game, going 3-4 with a double, two walks, and three RBI. Showing no signs of slowing, Rinehart continues with his red-hot August, now batting .446 on the month.
With the win, the Bears improve to 26-11 and are set to return to the Championship game for their third trip in four seasons. After an off day on Wednesday, the Black Bears go on a four-game road trip where they play the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Fredrick Keys before returning home for their final home stand on Labor Day, September 1. First pitch for Monday’s home game is set for 5:00 p.m.
