Exciting endings and bright beginnings
Sep. 8—FAIRMONT — After the West Virginia Black Bears started their summer off 1-1-10, the entire season was in danger of being a wash. But after claiming the MLB Draft League Championship on Tuesday against the Williamstown Crosscutters, it seems the case that the Bears just needed a little time to get out of hibernation.
The Black Bears defeated the Crosscutters 10-6 Tuesday, coming back from an early six-run deficit to bring home the league's inaugural championship game.
Down 6-0 in the fifth, West Virginia scored six runs in the fifth inning to tie the game, and four more in the sixth inning to flip the script and pull off the comeback.
"It was a good way to end the season," West Virginia manager Jedd Gyorko said. "It's a credit to how this team pulled together [both halves of the season]. We wouldn't have made it here without clinching the first half title, and this group of guys played every game to win. They deserved it."
The Black Bears finished the season 48-30 overall after their 1-1-10 start, a record that was tops among Draft League teams.
West Virginia earned their spot in the championship game after taking the first-half title, with the championship game being played between the teams with the best winning percentage in the first half and the second halves of the season.
The Black Bears went through their second half with a new-look roster after six of their players were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft.
One mainstay they preserved on their roster was first baseman Ryan Hernandez, who led the league in hits (70), home runs (14), runs batted-in (46), runs (44), slugging percentage (.610), and OPS (1.022).
Hernandez had a hit, a run scored, and two RBIs in the championship game. Grayson Thurman chose a good time to get his first win of the season, retiring all 10 batters he faced to pick up the victory for his team, pitching from two outs in the sixth to the end of the game.
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After starting their season off in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania for their first game against the university of the same name — an Aug. 28 outing that finished as a scoreless tie — the Fairmont State women's soccer team stayed on the road to begin their MEC conference schedule against Wheeling University, defeating the Cardinals 2-1.
The Falcons out-shot Wheeling 25-11, while the shots on goal discrepancy was much narrower, 11-8 in Fairmont's favor.
Sophomore Alyssa Weaver struck first for the Falcons in the tail-end of the 17th minute, while junior Kiera Kuzinski gave Fairmont a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
After a quiet stretch throughout much of the second half, Wheeling's Talynn DeBartolo scored to give the Cardinals some hope in the 77th minute, but neither team had any more scores in store for the remainder of the game.
Kuzinski scores her first goal of the season after leading the Falcons last year with 12 scores. Active all day, Kuzinski fired 11 shots throughout the game. No other player shot more than four, and no Cardinal had more than two shots.
Fairmont controlled the game in part thanks to 15 fouls committed by the Cardinals on Wednesday — the Falcons committed eight.
The Falcon's Taylor Kennedy recorded seven saves against Wheeling after saving six balls against Slippery Rock. A senior, Kennedy is coming off a 98-save season for Fairmont. On Wheeling's side, Mikayla Yarwood finished with nine saves.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 1-0-1, while the Cardinals fall to 0-3.
Fairmont State had to wait quite awhile for their second game of the season, and will have to wait a bit longer to play at Duvall-Rosier field for the first time this season. They return to Fairmont Sept. 11 to face Notre Dame College. Wheeling University next faces Frostburg on Sept. 10.
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Scores from around the area:
Tuesday, Sept. 6:
Girl's soccer:
North Marion 1, Buckhannon-Upshur 0
East Fairmont 1, Robert C. Byrd 1
Fairmont Senior 1, Philip Barbour 4
Boy's soccer:
East Fairmont 2, Robert C. Byrd 4
Fairmont Senior 16, Philip Barbour 0
Volleyball
East Fairmont 0, Robert C. Byrd 2
East Fairmont 2, Grafton 0
Reach Nick Henthorn at 304-367-2548, on Twitter @nfhenthorn_135 or by email at nhenthorn@timeswv.com.