MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Potomac Valley Post 64, Fort Cumberland Post 13 and Garrett County Post 71/208/214 were all in action at the Hillbilly Hardball Classic at Mylan Park on Friday.
Potomac Valley was the only area squad to win on Day 1 of the event, routing Uniontown Post 51 (Pennsylvania), 18-0, and New Philadelphia Post 134 (Ohio), 11-1.
Fort Cumberland was edged by Wheeling Post 1 (West Virginia), 4-3, and Garrett County was defeated by Blackhawk Post 261 (Pennsylvania), 2-1, and St. Clairsville Post 159 (Ohio), 7-3.
The first two days of the tournament are pool play. Each team is guaranteed at least one game on Sunday, but only the four pool winners advance to the championship bracket.
The champions of Pools 1 and 4 play in a semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and the winners of Pools 2 and 3 square off in the other half of the bracket at 3:45. The championship is at 6 p.m.
As it stands, Potomac Valley can clinch a spot in the semifinals by beating Beckley Post 52 (West Virginia) in its final Pool 3 game on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Fort Cumberland, with an 0-1 record in Pool 2 after Day 1, will have to sweep Greenville Post 140 (Ohio) and South Charleston Post 94 (West Virginia) on Saturday and get some help to advance to the championship bracket. It plays South Charleston at 9 a.m. and Greenville at 11:15 a.m.
Garrett County plays its final Pool 4 game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against Berkeley Post 14 (West Virginia) and is eliminated from championship contention.
Mylan Park was a familiar site for Fort Cumberland. It was the location of last year’s Mid-Atlantic Regional where Post 13, the Maryland state champions, defeated West Virginia champ Berkeley Post 14 for their first regional win since 1934.
Fort Cumberland’s state championship was its first since 1976.
Potomac Valley rolls twice
Potomac Valley (8-7) racked up 15 hits in its first game en route to an 18-0 bludgeoning of Uniontown on Friday at Shilling Field.
Post 64’s leading hitters were Chase Davis who was 3 for 3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored; Uriah Cutter at 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs; JJ Charlton at 2 for 4 with a double, four RBIs and two runs; Noah Broadwater with a double; Cam Lynch with a 2 for 5, two RBI, three run outing, and Tyson Arnold with a pair of singles.
Mason Kisamore and Kaleb Kuhn tossed a combined shutout in the five-inning run-rule win.
Kisamore was the winning arm, throwing three innings of two-hit ball with three Ks and a pair of walks. Kuhn followed with two hitless shoutout frames of relief.
Nick Feszar took the loss for Uniontown. At the plate, Uniontown was limited to two hits, both singles.
In its second game Friday, Potomac Valley plated five runs in the sixth inning to again secure a run rule — this time over New Philadelphia in six innings.
Broadwater was 4 for 4 with a triple, two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored, Logan Rotruck was 3 for 3 with a double, Davis had two singles and two RBIs, and Lynch singled twice and scored twice.
Davis was the winning pitcher in relief, allowing a run on two hits with two Ks and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. Lynch tossed 2 1/3 hitless, shutout frames to start, fanning five and walking none.
Mason Wagner took the loss for New Philadelphia, allowing six runs (three earned) on nine hits in five innings of work. Brandt Wells tallied the squad’s lone RBI.
Post 13 leaves 9 on
Fort Cumberland left nine runners on base, all in scoring position, in a 4-3 loss to Wheeling on Friday.
Post 13 (7-3), which saw their five-game winning streak end, outhit Wheeling, 11-6, but manufactured just three runs as it left a runner in scoring position in every inning but the fifth.
Wheeling took a 4-1 lead after scoring two runs in the third inning. Post 13 starter Parker Ferraro was chased after a pair of singles in the third and both runners inherited by Kohen Madden scored.
Fort Cumberland scored on a sac flies by Parker Ferraro in the third and Landon McAlpine in the fourth to trail by a run but couldn’t get over the hump.
Madden and Landyn Ansel combined to throw five shutout innings of relief to keep Post 13 in the game. Madden threw three shutout innings of two-hit ball, and Ansel didn’t allow a hit over his two frames, walking two and fanning two.
Bryce Madden went 2 for 3 with a double, and Carson Bradley and Caedon Wallace singled twice each.
Quinn Jamison earned the win for Wheeling, scattering nine hits over 5 2/3 innings to allow just three runs. He struck out two and walked one.
Luke Doyle got a four-out save in relief.
Zade Billings led the Wheeling offense going 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored, and Andrew Skadra drove in a pair.
Garrett County drops 2
Robert Deatelhauser threw six solid frames for Garrett County in its first game against Blackhawk, but Dylan Smith held his team’s bats scoreless.
Garrett County (6-8) got within a run after an error on a Wally Brands grounder plated Jared Haskiell with two outs in the seventh. Ayden Pratt stranded the tying run at first with a strikeout for the save and the Blackhawk win.
Smith earned the win on the bump surrendering no runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in six innings pitched.
Deatelhauser was dealt the loss despite a quality start in which he gave up two unearned runs on seven hits in six frames. The All-Area left-hander struck out three and walked two.
Easton Rhoten and Reece Tasker had two hits each to lead Garrett.
Grant Lansberry paced Blackhawk going 3 for 3 with a double, and Connor Welsh had two RBIs.
In Garrett’s second game, it scored three times on wild pitches in the third inning to lead 3-1 before St. Clairsville scored six unanswered to come back.
St. Clairsville plated five runs in the fourth.
Brands went 2 for 3 with a double and Ryan Bird doubled for Garrett.
Sylus Hyde was the winning arm, surrendering three unearned runs on six hits with seven Ks and two walks in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Evan White was 2 for 3 with three RBIs, Hunter Hoffman doubled and Rowan Mellott drove in a pair to pace the St. Clairsville offense.
