NILES — The odds were heavily stacked against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Tuesday when they hosted West Virginia for the start of a six-game homestand. The Black Bears entered the game with the best overall record in the MLB Draft League (30-19, 7-4) while MV held the worst overall record (18-32, 3-8).

To make matters worse, the Black Bears’ leadoff hitter Tuesday, Turner Hill, was just named the league’s hitter of the week. WV’s starting pitcher, Jeremy Cook was named the league’s pitcher of the week.

The favorable odds paid off as the Black Bears defeated the Scrappers 7-5.

Hill collected three base hits, knocked in a pair of runs and scored a run.

Cook (4-0) worked five innings to pick up the win. He gave up three runs and four hits while recording seven strikeouts.

West Virginia scored six runs in the fourth inning to bust the game open. Ryan Hernandez opened the scoring when he belted his league-leading ninth home run of the year.

Oscar Ponce and Jarficur Parker each had a pair of hits for the Scrappers, accounting for half of the team’s hit total.

Both teams wasted numerous scoring opportunities. The Scrappers loaded the bases with one out in the first but failed to score. The first five men reached base in the bottom of the sixth, but the Scrappers were held to just two runs. A runner was thrown out at the plate while another was caught stealing.

West Virginia banged out 15 hits but left the bases loaded in both the seventh and eight innings.

Mahoning Valley surrendered 11 base runners, while WV stranded 10 runners.

The two teams continue their three-game series tonight at 7:05.

TRAVELIN’ MAN

It would be easy to assume that Scrappers outfielder Adam Fogel would be completely out of his element in Northeast Ohio.

After all, Fogel was born and raised in Los Angeles, then spent five years attending school and playing baseball at the University of Hawaii.

However, the quintessential California Kid feels quite comfortable in his summer home.

“I love the outdoors; I love the water. I grew up with my parents taking me hiking, to different national parks,” Fogel said. “No oceans to explore here, but I understand there are some nice rivers and lakes. I can’t wait to check them out.”

Fogel’s ability to quickly adapt to his surroundings is understandable, considering the fact that he estimates that baseball has taken him to approximately 38 states. Following his five-year stint at Hawaii, he finished up his collegiate career at the University of Kentucky.

“Okay, Kentucky was a bit of a shock,” Fogel says with a laugh. “I visited the university last August, it was like 95 degrees and no one told me about the snow. Then this past winter was one of their coldest in a long time. The first time I saw the snow fall, I was like, ‘I’m not sure this is for me.’ It’s not bad if you can stay inside all day.”

“Hawaii was really laid back. Lexington was more like Los Angeles in that everything was at a faster pace. But honestly, I love it all. I absolutely love the travel that goes along with baseball. It’s one of the main reasons I’m still all in. I have lifelong friends all over the world because of baseball. That’s one of the coolest aspects of the game.”

While at Hawaii, Fogel started in 168 games with a career batting average of .297. He compiled 111 RBIs, 18 home runs and 97 runs scored. He earned All-Big West honors in each of his three full seasons with the Rainbows.

This past spring at Kentucky, Fogel batted .259 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs.

“It’s really cool to go home each night already looking forward to returning to the ballpark the next day,” Fogel said. “When that feeling runs out, I’ll know it’s time to get out of the game but right now it’s not happening. I love this game.”