GRANVILLE, W.Va. – The West Virginia Black Bears fell to the Williamsport Crosscutters, 6-4, Thursday night at Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark in the opening game of the series.
Williamsport jumped out to an early lead after plating two runs in the second inning. Matthew Williams opened the scoring with a solo home run before Jake Zitella added an RBI single that scored Santino Panaro.
West Virginia responded in the bottom of the second. Leading off with back-to-back singles from Ian Collier and Blake Wilson, a sacrifice fly from Jackson Trout brought home Collier to make it 2-1. The next inning, Cayden Gaskin tied the game after reaching on a walk. Immediately putting his speed on display, Gaskin stole second and third before Kevin Jones grounded out to bring him home.
Capitalizing on mistakes, Williamsport regained the lead on a passed ball in the fourth, but West Virginia got the run back in the fifth when Jones scored on a wild pitch.
The Crosscutters broke the tie in the eighth, scoring two runs to take a 5-3 lead. With runners on the corners, a walk and a wild pitch from Bears’ Dawson Hall brought in Nick Romano. An RBI single from Panaro extended the Crosscutters' advantage to two heading into the final frame.
A run driven in by Jack Kail in the top of the ninth gave the Cutters a three-run advantage. Attempting a rally, Elijah Cook, Cayden Gaskin and Kevin Jones delivered consecutive singles, with Jones driving in Cook to cut the deficit to 6-4. However, Williamsport escaped the threat, securing the victory with a 6-4-3 double play.
Scoring just four runs on 12 hits and two walks, West Virginia struggled to plate runners despite consistent offensive production. They managed to get one Bear on base in each inning but stranded nine in scoring position. Leading the team, Kevin Jones recorded three hits in four at-bats, adding one run and two RBI to his season total. Starting pitcher Drew Townson had an impressive outing for West Virginia, allowing just one earned run on four hits. In his sixth start for the Black Bears, Townson struck out seven through 7.0 innings pitched.
West Virginia looks to even the series in game two against Williamsport on Friday evening. Friday night’s game features the final post-game firework show of the season, presented by OrangeTheory Fitness Morgantown. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
