STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The West Virginia Black Bears picked up its 34th win of the season with the 13-10 victory over the State College Spikes at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Tuesday evening. West Virginia stayed hot offensively, mashing its way to 13 runs with Logan Mathieu, Maddox Houghton and Jack Elliott driving in a combined seven runs. On the mound, Tyler Johnson and Kannon Butler provided stability out of the bullpen in the win.
The scoring came early and often for both teams. Mathieu singled in Houghton to give the Black Bears a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Spikes responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs of its own as a C Devin Buckner hit an RBI single and 3B Nick Gile’s RBI triple made it 3-1 State College.
West Virginia loaded the bases in the top of the second and ended up with four additional runs. Catcher J.C. Santini walked in one before Houghton drove in two with an RBI double. Ruben Fontes added a sacrifice fly that drove home Santini to give the Bears a 5-3 lead. However, State College answered right back in the bottom of the inning as two more RBI singles from LF Trent Taylor and RF Brock Reller knotted the game at five.
The back-and-forth scoring continued into the third and fourth innings. Santini reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Elliott, and LF Turner Hill hit a sacrifice fly that brought home SS Anthony Stehlin to put the Bears back on top 7-5. In the bottom of the fouth inning, State College re-took the lead as two more RBI singles from Taylor and Buckner gave the Spikes an 8-7 lead.
West Virginia finally gained an offensive edge in the sixth inning, as the Bears tacked on three more runs. Mathieu smashed his fifth home run of the season to tie the game at eight. A Jack Elliott triple and a single from Stehlin put the Bears in front 10-8. West Virginia continued to add to its lead in the top of the eighth, as DH Adan Fernandez tripled to send home Mathieu, and Elliot singled in Fernandez to extend the Bears lead to 12-8.
State College did not go quietly into the night. The Spikes added another RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to cut the West Virginia lead to two. However, Mathieu added one more insurance run for the Black Bears in the ninth with an RBI single that scored Hill.
Reliver Grayson Thurman slammed the door in the ninth, striking out two as he earned the save. On a night filled with offensive production, MLB Draft League “Hitter of the Week” Jack Elliott had a standout evening as he finished two-for-two with two walks, two RBIs, three runs and was hit by a pitch. As a result of the walks, Elliott reached base all five times he came to the plate. Logan Mathieu finished the night with four hits, three RBIs, two runs and two extra-base hits, while Maddux Houghton ended his evening with three hits, one run and two RBI.
West Virginia returns to Medlar Field to take on the Spikes in game two of the series on Wednesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
