By Andrew Wilson
WEST UNION, W.Va. — Multiple pitchers are often used in tuneup games in between regionals and the state tournament, but that wasn’t the case for East Hardy on Friday.
Shane Sisler was all that the Cougars needed.
In East Hardy’s 3-2 win over Doddridge County on on Friday in West Union, Sisler tossed a complete game and only allowed two runs on six hits while striking out two batters.
Sisler didn’t allow any runs after the second inning, the inning that the Bulldogs scored both of their runs. He also pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.
“He’s a pitch-to-contact guy,” Doddridge County coach Nathan Wright said of Sisler. “We were hitting him, but I thought their defense played really well. Their outfield tracked down some good balls out there, so (kudos) to them. They made the plays, caught the fly balls when they needed it. Like I said, he threw strikes and he gave them a chance to win.”
East Hardy didn’t wait long — not even to its second pitch — to take the lead as Evan Hamilton hit the first pitch of the game over the fence in right field for a leadoff homer.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second, the Bulldogs did all of their damage with two outs. Rokisky hit a grounder to third and the throw went by the first baseman, enabling Rokisky to reach second. Evan Kelley hit a pitch to right field for an RBI double.
Nicholson, the No. 9 hitter in the lineup, followed with an RBI single to left field to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the fifth, after Patrick Mills reached on an error, Evan Hamilton singled to right field. Then, East Hardy tied the game at 2 on Mason Hamilton’s RBI single into left field. It was the Cougars second single in the inning.
Evan Kelley took the mound for the Bulldogs in the top of the sixth inning, and the defense behind him quickly helped him as Dayton Dove’s pop up in foul territory was caught by a charging Hall for the out.
East Hardy’s Eli Combs, with two outs, found the gap in right center field where it went by the Doddridge County right fielder for a double, and Kyrstian Byram pinch ran for him. Mason Wilkins was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second.
But the ensuing hitter grounded out to second to end the threat and strand both runners.
In the bottom of the sixth, Caleb Sutton hit an 0-1 pitch to third base and beat the off-balance throw to first. Sutton stole second. Malachi Kelley’s bunt down the first-base line sent Sutton to third, but a fly out stranded him.
“I thought we had some good barrels, but that’s baseball,” coach Wright said. “But we have to find a way to get some more hits, to manufacture some more runs, essentially work our leadoff hitter on so we can play some small ball, because that sometimes ignites our offense as well.”
Evan Hamilton and Mason Hamilton were both hit by a pitch to open the top of the seventh. That prompted a pitching change as Malachi Kelley took the mound. Levi Price’s sac bunt advanced each runner one base.
Shane Sisler’s sac fly to left field scored Evan Hamilton to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead, the game-winning hit.
Doddridge County will face East Fairmont next Thursday at a location to be determined.
