West Virginia Falls to Williamsport in the Series Finale at The Mon

GRANVILLE, W.Va. – The West Virginia Black Bears dropped the first home series to the Williamsport Crosscutters after losing game three, 12-7, at Monongalia County Ballpark on Thursday evening. Despite holding a four-run lead through four innings, West Virginia allowed ten runs in the final frames, including five in the sixth inning.

After the offense stalled in the game two, the Black Bears bounced back and took an early lead in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs on the board, a Noah Fisher triple to center field brought home RF Nick Iannantone for the first run. The next at-bat, DH Kruise Newman homered on a line drive that nicked the outfield wall and sent Fisher home for a three-run lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Bears added another run to go up 4-0. Second baseman Brody Fahr reached first on a fielding error before he stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Cutters’ catcher Manny Jackson. Fahr came home on a sacrifice fly by CF Tré Hondras to give West Virginia the 4-0 lead.

Williamsport battled back in the top of the fifth with two runs. Two walks by Bears’ starting pitcher Zach Thornton put a runner in scoring position before back-to-back doubles by 2B Reed Chumley and 3B Jack Oberdorf put the Crosscutters on the board.

But the Bears got two back in the bottom of the inning. Keeping his hot streak going, Fahr doubled on a line drive to left field that brought home Newman and Becker. Heading into the sixth inning, West Virginia led 6-2.

That would be the last time the Black Bears held the lead as the Crosscutters inflicted ten runs in the final four innings. In the sixth, RHP Alex Pipes stepped in for Thornton. After walking RF Torin Smith and allowing a single by SS Eric Fernandez to bounce to left field, a home run by LF Sean Smith brought the Cutters within one run. A single from 1B Gage Gundy scored Johnson and Chumley to give Williamsport a one-run lead.

The Black Bears knotted the game in the bottom of the seventh as Fisher capitalized on a wild pitch by reliever Emmanuel Dooley.

Five Crosscutters’ runs in the eighth and ninth frames closed the door on a West Virginia win. Manager David Carpenter pulled Kruise Newman to the mound for the eighth inning in the hopes of holding the Cutters’ offense. However, a passed ball by catcher Justin Fogel moved Chumley and Harper into scoring position. A single by Vogel scored both to give Williamsport a 9-7 lead. Right-handed pitcher Cody Tucker stepped in for Newman in the top of the ninth. In three trips to the plate, the Cutters padded their lead with three more runs on two singles and a sac-fly for a final score of 12-7. West Virginia ended the game with three quick outs in the bottom of the inning.

Despite the loss, Noah Fisher and Brody Fahr made an impact for the Black Bears offense. Fisher, from Northern Kentucky University, went three-for-four at the plate with two runs and one RBI. Fahr, who drove in two runs for the Bears, also notched a run and a hit in the contest. Kruise Newman recorded his first home run of the season in the bottom of the third, bringing home two runs in the process.

Pitcher Zach Thornton made his Black Bears’ debut with a solid outing. The lefty from Lawrence, Kansas, threw four scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the fifth. Thornton allowed four hits and recorded four strikeouts in his five innings pitched.

With the loss, the Bears drop below .500 on the season. West Virginia looks to bounce back on the road against the Trenton Thunder at Thunder Ballpark this weekend. The three-game series begins Friday with first pitch for game one set for 7:00 p.m. Coverage for all games can be found at www.mlbdraftleague.com.