By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
The Hawks swooped into the Hive and solved the pitching before taking their talons to ground the Yellow Jackets with a 9-nil shutout last Monday.
“One of the big things we have kind of struggled with on and off this year is stringing stuff together, when we get hit after hit. Baseball is that funny thing, you’ve got to play everyday. We have been playing sporadically and finally got some good weather to play this week to get on the field this week. We are hitting our stride right when we need to at tournament play. I was pleased with our approach at the plate after about the second inning and started hitting in the third. I was real pleased with how my pitchers threw today. Every time we come up here, I feel like we are kind of rushed. The kids were rushed and it took a couple innings for them to settle in,” South Harrison coach Frank Tate commented.
Moorefield starting pitcher Trevor Baldwin kept South Harrison in check early in the game throwing three strikeouts in the opening frame along with allowing just a single by Gabe Ferrell.
Baldwin kept the good vibes going at the plate by smashing a single off third base into left field for a single in the bottom of the first inning.
However, Baldwin would be stranded as South Harrison pitcher Layton Wageman induced groundouts by Kail Greenwalt and Oliver Crites before ending the frame with a strikeout to Ben Watts.
The Hawks went down in order in the second inning as Moorefield left fielder Shawn Reed corralled a fly ball, then third baseman Blake Snyder hauled in a groundout and Baldwin tossed a strikeout.
After a strikeout to Snyder, Moorefield’s Caleb Flinn deflected a shot off the pitcher’s glove for an error.
Flinn stole second base, then Reed struck out before a free pass was issued to Holden Crites.
Both runners were left on the pond as Cyrus Kump grounded out.
South Harrison struggled to get on base to commence the third inning as Baldwin induced two groundouts.
The Hawks battled back with two consecutive singles into left field by Mason Belcastro and Brogan Medina.
A walk loaded the bases, then South Harrison’s Wageman sliced an RBI single into left field for a 1-0 edge.
The Yellow Jackets got out of the jam as Reed caught a fly ball.
Baldwin ripped a single eluding the dive by the shortstop, but couldn’t be brought home again as Greenwalt grounded out and Wageman struck out Crites and Watts.
South Harrison commenced the fourth inning with a sharp grounder by Dane Tate eluding the diving attempt by Zeke Eye.
Corey Saltis crushed the ball to the left field fence for a double as the Hawks looked poised to strike.
South Harrison’s Zane Harlow unleashed a two-run producing single into center field for a 3-0 lead.
Baldwin countered with a strikeout, then walked Belcastro.
Medina hammered a two-run single into left field to put the Hawks up 5-nil.
Baldwin pitched another walk, then the Yellow Jackets brought Blake Snyder to the mound.
Snyder jammed the next two batters into pop-ups.
Flinn got on board for the Yellow Jackets with an error as the first baseman dropped the pass with one out, but was stranded on two strikeouts.
Snyder started the fifth inning pitching a dropped third strike with catcher Oliver Crites making the throw to first baseman Cyrus Kump.
South Harrison answered as Corey Saltis smashed a solo home run to extend the lead to 6-0.
Harlow singled, then Snyder jammed Jaycen Beachler into a popup to Baldwin.
Belcastro hit a sharp grounder to third base and the throw went awry over first base allowing one run to score for a 7-0 advantage.
Snyder responded with a strikeout to retire the side.
“We have been playing some good competition, so I like the challenge we have been getting from other teams. I thought our pitchers threw well. When they throw good pitches, they are going to hit the ball. We just have to be able to match them hit for hit. We’ve been playing a whole lot better as the season has progressed. That is the key, we’ve got to be the best at the end,” Moorefield Baseball skipper Wade Armentrout remarked.
The Yellow Jackets went down in order as Kump flew out, Baldwin grounded out and Greenwalt struck out on a pitch by Seth Gain.
Ferrell was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, then stole second base.
Wageman plated Ferrell with the help of an error, then Gain notched an RBI groundout as the Hawks took a 9-0 lead.
Flinn caught the second out, then Snyder issued a walk before inducing a groundout fielded by Baldwin to limit the damage.
Moorefield started with a groundout and strikeout prior to Davin Abreu reaching base on an error in right field, but was left on board with a strikeout.
Snyder pitched a strikeout to begin the seventh inning, then the Hawks got on base with an error before two more strikeouts closed the side.
South Harrison pitcher Jacob Watts closed out the game putting the Yellow Jackets down in order by sandwiching strikeouts to Kylan Kahangirwe and Maddux Wilson around a groundout back to the mound by Zeke Eye securing a 9-0 win for the Hawks.
