A collective sigh of relief swept across Dutchess Stadium as the Hudson Valley Renegades defeated the West Virginia Black Bears by the score of 7-4. The victory was a great way to start the homestand, but more importantly, it ended a painful 11-game losing streak by the Renegades.
Unlike every other game during the skid, Tuesday’s was all Renegades. After the Black Bears had scored one in the first, the Renegades put three on the board in the second and never looked back. They would pad their lead in the third and fifth, and the bullpen kept the Black Bears at bay.
Taking the mound for the Renegades was Jhonleider Salinas, while Gavin Wallace opposed him for the Black Bears. Salinas bounced back from a couple of bad starts with a solid five-inning performance in which he gave up two runs, walked just one and struck out six.
The bullpen, who took a beating during the losing streak, was solid for Hudson Valley after Salinas turned it over. Hunter Schryver pitched two and a third in relief, striking out three and giving up just one run. Zack Mozingo made his debut for the Renegades and pitched 1.2 perfect innings, struck out two, and earned his first career save.
For the Black Bears, it was their recent Draft pick Gavin Wallace, who attended Fairfield University just a short distance away. He had his friends and family in attendance to watch his professional debut. The 15th round draft pick pitched well for four innings before Rafelin Lorenzo delivered a mammoth three-run homer for the Gades in the bottom of the fifth.
Lorenzo’s blow was the biggest of the game, but he wasn’t alone on offense. Isaac Benard, Matt Eureste, and Zac Law all collected RBI of their own in the victory.
The Hudson Valley Renegades, Class A Short Season affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, and the West Virginia Black Bears, the Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate, will face off again Wednesday night at Dutchess Stadium. The Black Bears fall to 13-8 on the season while the Renegades finally get back into the win column and improve to 7-13.