WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The West Virginia Black Bears opened their series against the Williamsport Crosscutters with a dominant six-run shutout at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. Starting pitcher Tyler Kaltreider held the first-half champs to one hit through his 7.0 innings on the mound while the offense out-hit Williamsport 15-2.
In a game dominated by the Bears, West Virginia consistently built upon its early lead. Ben Barrett drew first blood with an RBI single that scored Cole Kitchens in the third. Kitchens then extended the Bears’ advantage in the fifth with a 359-foot solo home run over the left-field fence.
The Black Bears added to their lead the next inning, loading the bases with three consecutive singles. Alec DeMartino drove in a run on a force out to go ahead by three heading into the bottom of the sixth.
West Virginia scored insurance runs in the final frames. In the eighth, Jackson Trout drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Barrett. Adding more cushion, Thompson singled to right field to score Kevin Jones in the ninth, and Owen Petrich followed with a bases-loaded single that scored Barrett for his second run.
With three outs remaining in the game, the Crosscutters trailed 6-0. Reliever Dawson Hall closed out the inning with two strikeouts to put the Bears back in the win column.
Keeping Williamsport’s offense off the bags the entire game, the West Virginia pitching staff allowed just two hits and one walk through nine innings with a combined 11 strikeouts. Starter Tyler Kaltreider led the efforts with his seven-inning appearance, surrendering only one hit while striking out eight. Andrew Luczak added a scoreless inning with one strikeout in the eighth, while Dawson Hall recorded the final two strikeouts to preserve the shutout.
The Black Bears’ bats stayed hot throughout the game, amassing 15 hits on the night. Cole Kitchens went 2-for-4 with two runs, and one RBI courtesy of his fifth-inning home run. Owen Petrich went 3-for-4 on the night with one RBI; Ben Barrett recorded two hits, two runs, and one RBI in his four at-bats; and catcher Zack Thompson notched three hits, one run and one RBI.
West Virginia returns to Journey Bank Ballpark on Wednesday evening for Game 2 of the series, looking to secure the series win. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.
