GRANVILLE, W. Va. – The West Virginia Black Bears clinched the series against the Aberdeen IronBirds with a 5-2 victory on Thursday night at Kendrick Family Ballpark. The Bears built an early lead and answered every push from the IronBirds to secure the series.
West Virginia opened the scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Cayden Gaskin doubled before Elijah Cook followed with an RBI double. Ben Barrett then singled to score Cook and give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
Aberdeen responded in the fourth inning, scoring Isaiah Parido to cut the deficit to one. West Virginia answered in the bottom half when Cole Kitchens launched a two-out solo home run to center field, restoring the Bears’ two-run advantage.
The Black Bears added another run in the fifth. Gaskin singled before stealing both second and third base, and Cook lined a single into the outfield to score him and put West Virginia ahead 4-1.
Aberdeen once again chipped away in the eighth when Max Galvin lined an RBI single to score Parido. But the Bears wasted little time responding as Alec DeMartino led off the bottom half with a home run to push the lead back to three.
The Bears closed out the ninth to secure the 5-2 victory and the series win.
Cayden Gaskin led the Bears offensively, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, three stolen bases and two runs. Cole Kitchens and Alec DeMartino each added solo home runs, while Cook finished with two RBIs.
The West Virginia pitching staff held the game together, allowing six hits with eight strikeouts. Starting pitcher Drew Townson earned the win after giving up just one run on three hits while striking out four across five innings. Newcomer Andrew Monson threw two innings with two hits, one run and a pair of strikeouts, while Dawson Hall recorded his second save of the season with a two-inning shutout.
The Black Bears return to Kendrick Family Ballpark on Friday night for Pittsburgh Pirates Night with post-game fireworks presented by the CORE. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
