Successful home opener for West Virginia Black Bears
MORGANTOWN — The West Virginia Black Bears’ home opener for their 10th season couldn’t have gone any better.
The Black Bears bested the Williamsport Crosscutters 7-6 on Tuesday under the lights of Kendrick Family Ballpark. The Black Bears moved to 3-2 on the season and handed the Crosscutters their first loss. West Virginia is now a game back of Williamsport, who lead the league of six teams.
It was the Black Bears’ first game in Kendrick Family Ballpark, after starting the season on the road with 2-2 record. Being part of the MLB Draft League, West Virginia drew an active crowd for the season opener, with admission being $10.
Sam Miller, who drove in the go-ahead run, enjoyed playing in Morgantown for the first time this season. He lives close by in McMurray, Pennsylvania. His sibling goes to WVU.
“I’ve been around West Virginia for a while,” Black Bears infielder Sam Miller said. “I love it. It’s pretty cool. I’ve never played with fans like that at a stadium.”
The West Virginia squad put on a good showing for the crowd. With the game tied, Miller, from Columbia University, singled on a line drive, scoring Oklahoma State’s Beau Slyvester and the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.
It was entertaining all night. The Black Bears scored at least once in the first four innings. The scoring started with a single from Mario Magana, who’s committed to Miami. After a run in the second, Jonny McGill singled to make it 3-0 Black Bears after three.
The crowd really got a show in the fourth inning. Connor Hicks, who attends Southeastern, rocketed one over the wall, starting a two run inning for the Black Bears, making it 5-0.
The undefeated Crosscutters didn’t want to lose their undefeated steak easily. Williamsport finally got on the board in the big sixth inning, scoring four. Then, the Crosscutters tacked on two more, tying the game at six.
Although the season is still in the early stages, the team is starting to gel well together, especially after the road trip that included a trip to Maryland. There are players from schools all over, and they’ll have plenty of time to learn about each other.
“It’s only been like four days, but we’re a close-knit group,” Miller said. “The road trip was huge because we are all in close quarters with each other.”