Johnstown, Pa. – The start of the three-day, four game road swing for the West Virginia Miners did not go well Thursday night.
Scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Mill Rats (6-9) blasted the Miners 14-3 in seven innings. The win was the second in a row for the home team, while West Virginia dropped its third straight.
Both teams collected seven hits on the night, but the Miners were a mess on the mound. Four West Virginia pitchers combined for eight walks, six hits batsman and seven wild pitches to aid the Mill Rats cause.
Justin Kapuscinski roped a two-run blast in the opening inning, while Sam Mast hit a double to score a pair for the Mill Rats. Randy Carlo singled home another run and two sacrifice flies helped give Johnstown build its commanding lead.
The lead was 14-0 before the Miners tallied three runs in the bottom of the seventh highlighted by a Blake Lazaris home run.
The two teams close out the two game set tonight at 7 p.m. West Virginia then heads over to Chillicothe for a doubleheader Saturday.
The Miners (4-8) return home Monday night to open a two-game series with the Danville Dans. West Virginia will also welcome for former MLB pitcher and Greenbrier East standout, Seth McClung to Linda K. Epling Stadium Monday.