GRANVILLE, W.Va. - The West Virginia Black Bears dropped their first series of the season to the Williamsport Crosscutters 1-0, despite strong outings from starting pitcher Ruzicka and the bullpen.
The story of the game for the Black Bears remained the same, with another strong pitching performance while the bats continued to struggle. Williamsport took an early lead in the first, but the pitching kept the Bears in it up to the very end. Bears starter Joe Ruzicka pitched four innings, allowing one run on two hits and punching out seven.
Will Rogers replaced Ruzicka and returned to work for the Bears, pitching two innings and punching out two while allowing no hits. The Bears had a few chances to capitalize and tie the game but ultimately finished 0-3 with runners in scoring position. Their best opportunity came in the bottom of the seventh, with Connor Hicks at second and one out, but a groundout and strikeout ended the inning.
In nine innings, the Bears' pitching allowed only two hits, with both hits coming in the first inning. They then struck out 14 batters, dominating with their league-leading 3.04 team ERA. Joe Ruzicka suffered his first loss of the season and moved his ERA to 1.80.
With the loss, the Black Bears (7-4) now drop to second place in the MLB Draft League standings. West Virginia returns Sunday evening for the final game against Williamsport. First pitch is set 6:00 p.m.
