GRANVILLE, W.Va. – The West Virginia Black Bear began their 10th anniversary season at home with a win, beating the Williamsport Crosscutters 7-6 at Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday evening. The Bears’ bats stayed hot through the game, scoring at least one run in six of eight innings played.
Starting pitcher Elijah Underhill had a stellar start to the game, pitching three scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and striking out three.
The Black Bears offense got to the Crosscutters early, scoring five runs in the first four innings. Mario Magana got the party started with a line drive that scored Jonny McGill in the first. In the third, McGill brought home second baseman Tyler Pettorini, while Connor Hicks picked up his second home run of the season with a two-run shot to right field in the bottom of the fourth.
Williamsport stormed back in the sixth, tacking on four to pull within one. The Bears aggressive baserunning was rewarded in the bottom of the inning as Tyler Cerny scored on a Pettorini groundout. But the Crosscutters weren't done yet, tying the game in the seventh with a two-RBI triple from catcher Matthew Graveline.
Just when the momentum seemed to shift, West Virginia responded with a run in the eighth as Sam Miller sent a line drive to center field, scoring Beau Sylvester for a 7-6 lead. Two-way player Bryan Arendt earned the save, stepping in to pitch in the final frame. Arendt allowed only one hit in the inning, striking out two, while Aiden Moffett secured his first win with three strikeouts in two innings pitched.
The Black Bears' offense was led by catcher Connor Hicks, who went 3-for-5 with two runs scored off his second long ball of the summer. The Crosscutters were led by their catcher, Graveline, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
With the win, the West Virginia Black Bears move to 3-2 on the season. The teams return for game two of the series at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Wednesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on the first Bark in the Park night of 2025 presented by Pampered 4 Paws.
