By Andrew Wilson
PHILIPPI, W.Va. — The winner of the Class AA Region II tournament baseball game between Moorefield and Philip Barbour on Wednesday at Philip Barbour will be determined at a later time.
With Philip Barbour trailing 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out, Philip Barbour’s Landyn Carpenter lined a double to deep left center field. Robbie Jones was coming to bat.
But then, the game — an elimination game — was delayed due to lightning and heavy rain and was eventually suspended to a later date. That date wasn’t known as of press time on Wednesday night.
The Yellow Jackets scored six of their seven runs in the top of the third inning, which included back-to-back home runs by Easton Haines and Ollie Crites.
“That’s a pretty special moment for those guys,” Moorefield coach Wade Armentrout said. “We were looking to maybe lay down a bunt, get a couple runs that inning, and it turns out that it’s going to turn into a big inning. We saw a couple really good pitches, and those guys got a good swing on it.”
Up until that point, Haines was 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Crites was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Edison Metheny and Blake Snyder were each 1-for-3. Zakk Keplinger was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Snyder, who was still in the game with the Colts threatening in the bottom of the sixth, has pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
“Well, he started out like his control wasn’t precise at the beginning,” Armentrout said of Snyder. “Once he started to get loose, his control was really good, and then he really had him off balance with his breaking ball, so they were aggressive swinging, and he just kept throwing strikes. So once he settled in, it was good.”
Philip Barbour’s Jones was 2-for-3 with an RBI, Kale Wolfe and Kent Rowan were each 2-for-3 while Slaton Harris and Parker Fincham were each 1-for-2. Braxton Carpenter, up to that point, is 1-for-3.
The Colts, before the sixth inning, had stranded nine runners.
“We had chances,” Philip Barbour coach Jonathon Carpenter said. “When you have a chance to get up early, you have to capitalize, especially when you have your bigger bats up. It’s really simple, you leave them on base, it comes back to bite you sometimes, and it has so far.”
In the top of the first, Crites, with two outs, hit an 0-2 pitch to deep left field where it hit the fence on a bounce for a double. Thomas Simmons courtesy ran for him, and he took third on a passed ball.
But the ensuing hitter’s bouncer was gloved by Braxton Carpenter, who fired to first to escape the threat.
In the bottom of the first, Kale Wolfe drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Jones, with one out, hit a line drive to center field that the center fielder leaped for and appeared to catch, but it deflected off of his glove, putting runners at the corners.
Jones took second on a defensive indifference. Anthony Mosesso’s RBI groundout to short scored Wolfe. Later, Jones took third on a wild pitch. Kent Rowan then lined an RBI single to right field where it bounced four times before being gloved: 2-0 Colts.
The Yellow Jackets scored six times in the top of the third, starting when Metheny lined a 2-2 pitch into left field for a single. Then, Haines crushed a 1-1 pitch to left center field for a two run homer, tying the game at 2.
Crites followed with a homer of his own, a solo shot, over the fence in left field, giving the Yellow Jackets the lead.
Then, the Yellow Jackets still weren’t done as Matthew Inman drew a walk and Snyder, the opposing pitcher with a chance to help himself, also drew a walk, putting runners at first and second with one out.
PB made a pitching change as Mattox Satterfield took the mound.
A wild pitch advanced each runner one base. Caleb Flinn, with runners at second and third, drew a walk to load the bases. A balk was called, scoring Inman. Keplinger then lined a pitch to left field where it bounced four times for an RBI single.
Kail Greenwalt’s grounder to third was fielded by the third baseman, but his throw took the catcher off of home, allowing Flinn to score.
“Right now, we had one bad inning,” coach Carpenter said. “I don’t know how many people we left on base, but it felt like 12, which is way too many. And then they’ve made a few plays, so I mean they’re sitting in a good situation, but we’re sure they’re not going to give up.”
The Colts’ fielding, however, kept the Yellow Jackets from pulling away further in the top of the fourth as Trevor Baldwin’s grounder to short with two outs was scooped by Landyn Carpenter, whose off-balance throw to first was in time, ending the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kale Wolfe, with one out, lined a single up the middle into center field. Two batters later, Jones hit a 1-2 pitch for a single that bounced a few times in right field, driving in Kale Wolfe.
In the bottom of the fifth, Rowan lined a 2-2 pitch into center field where it bounced several times for a single. Rowan stole second. Harris was hit by a pitch. Fincham was also hit by a pitch, loading the bases with no one out.
Braxton Carpenter, on a 2-2 count, hit a fly ball to deep center field where it was caught, and the throw to home plate was in time for a double play. The ensuing hitter struck out, ending the threat.
In the top of the sixth, Greenwalt, the No. 9 hitter, drew a walk. Returning to the top of the lineup, Metheny was hit by a pitch, putting runners at first and second.
Braxton Carpenter then took the mound for the Colts.
Haines laid down a bunt that traveled down the third-base line and was fielded and thrown to first, but not in time, loading the bases. Crites drew a leadoff walk, driving in his second run of the game, giving the Yellow Jackets the 7-3 lead.
Note: The game resumed on Saturday at Grafton High School. The Colts added one more run to close the gap to 7-4 in the 6th inning. Moorefield maintained the lead and Matthew Iman closed out the game on the mound as third baseman Blake Snyder sealed the win on a double play. The Yellow Jackets advance to the Class AA Region II Champion ship against Frankfort on Monday and need two wins to reach the state tournament in Huntington.
