WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The West Virginia Black Bears broke their four-game skid and evened the series against the Williamsport Crosscutters with a 14-9 win on Monday night at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. The Bears erupted for 14 runs through eight innings before fending off a late Crosscutters rally to claim the victory.
Working quickly, the Bears struck first in the opening inning. Back-to-back hits from Kevin Jones and Ben Barrett put runners in scoring position. A fielding error brought Jones home and put Ian Collier aboard before Cole Kitchens walked to load the bases. Elijah Cook capped the inning with a two-out, two-run single, plating Barrett and Collier for a 3-0 lead.
West Virginia doubled its runs in the second. Cayden Gaskin opened the inning with a line-drive double before Barrett drove him home with an RBI single. Collier followed with a two-run home run to left, extending the Bears’ lead to 6-0. In the bottom of the inning, starter Hunter Holzemer retired the Cutters in order for the second straight inning to preserve the six-run advantage.
With two outs in the third inning, Gaskin recorded his second double of the night before stealing third. Jones followed with an RBI single and later stole second before Barrett tallied his second RBI on a ground ball to center to pull ahead by eight.
Noah Jouras added a two-out RBI double in the fourth to score Cook, giving West Virginia a run in each of the first four innings and a 9-0 lead.
West Virginia continued its assault with home runs in consecutive innings. Kitchens blasted his first home run of the season – a two-run shot in the sixth – and Trout followed with another two-run home run in the seventh. Heading into the eighth, the Bears led by a 13.
The Bears added one final run in the eighth after Cook singled and later scored on a double play, extending the lead to 14-0.
Williamsport finally broke through in the eighth with two runs before mounting a seven-run rally in the ninth. The Crosscutters brought the tying run to the on-deck circle, but the Bears recorded the final outs to secure the 14-9 victory.
The Black Bears exploded for 14 runs on 18 hits, scoring in seven of nine innings. Ian Collier led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs, while Ben Barrett finished 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs. Elijah Cook drove in two runs, and Cayden Gaskin collected two hits while scoring twice.
Starting pitcher Hunter Holzemer was the standout on the mound, striking out six over six innings of work. Holzemer held the first-half champions scoreless with just two hits and three walks.
The Black Bears return to Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field for the rubber match on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
