STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The West Virginia Black Bears fell 13-7 to the State College Spikes in the second game of two on Wednesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Despite battling back throughout the contest, an explosive 10-run second inning by the Spikes proved too much for West Virginia to overcome.
State College jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the Black Bears answered in the top of the second. Ben Barrett led off the frame with a double before Jackson Trout walked to put two runners aboard. Ian Collier followed with a sharp RBI single to left, scoring Barrett to get West Virginia on the board.
The momentum quickly shifted in the bottom half of the inning as the Spikes erupted for 10 runs. Nyan Hayes highlighted the frame with a two-run homer, while Luke Nomura added a bases-clearing triple. By the end of the inning, State College sent 16 batters to the plate and built a commanding 12-2 advantage.
West Virginia refused to go away. In the third, Elijah Cook ripped a triple into left field and came home on a sacrifice fly by Tyvon Moore. The following inning, Ian Collier walked before Cole Kitchens singled, setting the stage for Kevin Jones, who lined a ground-rule double into right-center to score Collier. Cook then brought home Kitchens with an RBI groundout, trimming the deficit to 12-4.
The Black Bears continued to chip away in the sixth. After Tyvon Moore walked and Alec DeMartino was hit by a pitch, Ben Barrett drove both runners home with a sharp two-run double to right field, cutting the Spikes' lead to 13-6. West Virginia added one more run in the eighth when Cole Kitchens scored on a throwing error by the State College shortstop, but the rally would end there.
Barrett led the Black Bears offensively, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, and one run scored. Kevin Jones recorded an RBI double, Ian Collier added an RBI single, while Elijah Cook finished with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
West Virginia returns home to face the Mahoning Valley Scrappers for the first series of the second half at Kendrick Family Ballpark, beginning Friday, July 10, at 7 p.m. Post-game fireworks to follow once both teams have cleared the field.
