Black Bears Bested by Ironbirds in Series Opener
GRANVILLE, W. Va. - The West Virginia Black Bears fell to the Aberdeen IronBirds 11-2 on Tuesday night at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
Aberdeen wasted no time getting on the board, scoring three runs in the opening inning. Chase Williams doubled to put a runner in scoring position before Bishop Quarles delivered an RBI ground-rule double. Later in the frame, Anthony Quigley lined a two-run single to left field to give the Ironbirds an early 3-0 advantage.
The Black Bears looked to answer throughout the early innings, receiving walks from Dylan Schlaegel and Kahanu Martinez in the third, but Aberdeen’s defense kept West Virginia off the scoreboard.
After several scoreless innings, the Ironbirds broke the game open in the fifth. Aberdeen loaded the bases and capitalized on a combination of walks, a hit batter and extra-base hits. A three-run double by Quigley extended the Ironbird’s lead to 6-0.
West Virginia managed to get on the board in the bottom of the fifth when infielder Sam Miller launched a solo home run to left center field, cutting the deficit to 6-1. The blast marked Miller's first home run of the season and provided a spark for the Black Bears offense.
Aberdeen responded with three runs in the sixth, one in the seventh, and a final run in the ninth to bury the Bears under an 11-1 lead.
West Virginia mounted one final rally in the bottom of the ninth. A single from Isaac Wachsmann put a Bear on base before newcomer Ben Barrett drew a walk. Jose Fernandez followed with an RBI single to center field, scoring Wachsmann and trimming the deficit to 11-2. However, Aberdeen turned an inning-ending double play to secure the victory.
The Black Bears return for game two of the three-game series on Wednesday evening for Junior/Senior Discount Day. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Game day parking in Lot 1 is free through Thursday’s series finale against the Ironbirds.
