GRANVILLE – Relievers Victor Quinn and Hunter Hodges were literally unbeatable out of the West Virginia bullpen as the Black Bears earned their first MLB Draft League victory of the season, 3-1, over the Frederick Keys on Wednesday night in Kendrick Family Ballpark.
Quinn, a junior from Missouri, and Hunter, a senior from TCU, combined to throw five hitless innings out of the bullpen for West Virginia (1-1) with 12 strikeouts. The Keys (1-1) only put three balls into play against the duo, a fly ball to center and two ground balls to shortstop.
“I’m super, super impressed with them,” WV manager David Carpenter said. “Vic features a high-octane fastball with a cutter and slider to go with it. It took her a little while to get used to it, but there are a lot of advantages there.”
Quinn was the first out of the pen in the fifth inning and immediately impressed with a fastball that touched 96 miles per hour. His command was shaky at first, but he struck out five in two hitless innings, earning the victory.
Hodges followed and made the save with three more hitless frames. In contrast to Quinn’s intense heat, Hodges primarily employed a slider and curveball that kept Frederick’s hitters off balance.
“Victor has impressive speed, so I have to come in and do my thing, which is spin the ball,” Hodges said. “It’s a nice change of pace and we were both successful.”
Hodges struck out seven batters in his three innings with a pair of walks.
“That’s a pretty good hitting team, too, not a bad hitting team,” Carpenter emphasized. “Hunter dominated the strike zone with every pitch he threw. “I’m really impressed with how those guys pitched.”
It wasn’t Hodges’ first time pitching at Kendrick Family Ballpark, as he made a pair of scoreless appearances during the Horned Frogs’ three-game series in Morgantown in 2023.
“It’s better to be home and not in 40-degree rainy weather,” Hodges joked. “The facilities are nice here, it’s a great place and a great city. “It’s fun to be here.”
Having just finished his senior season at TCU, Hodges hopes to showcase his ability in the first half of the Draft League as he looks to be selected next month.
“I’ve been dreaming of playing professional baseball my whole life, so this is my last chance to impress some people and show them what I’m capable of,” he said.
Not to be overshadowed by the relievers, WV starter Cory Ronan also had a good performance. The University of Hawaii left-hander pitched four innings of one run, allowing five hits and striking out two.
The Keys got their run on a bases-loaded groundout in the top of the third.
The Black Bears took the lead in the bottom of the frame on Jeff Liquori’s two-run double that scored Brody Black and Jarrett Ford. Liquori, of Florida International, already has three doubles and five RBIs in just two games.
“He’s very composed at the plate and doesn’t get too excited,” Carpenter said. “He understands what he does well and just goes out and competes. He puts his foot on the ground, stays behind the ball and brings the barrel towards it. It’s a really simple swing, but it has some juice to it.”
The Black Bears added an insurance run on Mauricio Millán’s two-out single through the right side that scored Lucas Ismaili in the bottom of the sixth.
The decider of the three-game series between West Virginia and Frederick will begin at 6:30 pm this afternoon at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
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