Sam Miller leads Black Bears to 7-6 victory in home opener

Dominion Post

a day ago

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 leads the MLB Draft League of six teams.
It was the Black Bears' first game in Kendrick Family Ballpark, after starting the season on the road with a 2-2 record. Being part of the MLB Draft League, West Virginia drew an active crowd for the season opener.
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, Pa. His sibling goes to WVU.
'I've been around West Virginia for a while,' 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.
The Black Bears' home opener starts a long summer season for upcoming and college players, looking to eventually play in the MLB. Most are looking to improve their skills and keep getting reps throughout the summer offseason.
Miller was thrown out twice on the base paths Tuesday night, which the focus of what he wants to work on.
'Definitely getting faster,' Miller said. 'I got thrown out twice tonight, so yeah.'
To showcase the players, there is a theme night or discount almost every game, including 90s-night, Star Wars night, fireworks after the game, or Bark in the Park.
There are a couple of West Virginia Mountaineers on the roster. Skyler King, Ben Lumsden, Chase Swain, and Spencer Barnett are all listed on the summer roster. However, none of them have played this season because of the recent conclusion to their college postseason on Sunday.
It's a long road ahead for the Black Bears. They play almost every day until the beginning of September. Tuesday night was just the beginning of a long journey.
'It was nice to get above .500,' Miller said. '[The crowd] was awesome. It was cool.'