By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
Moorefield Little League 8-10 Softball All-Stars entered the West Virginia state tournament as the District 6 champion and showed tremendous heart after an initial devastating shutout.
The site of the West Virginia Little League 8-10 Softball State Tournament was Little Creek Park in South Charleston, the same complex were the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission host the high school state softball tournament.
Moorefield 8-10 Softball All-Stars showed how bright the future of the Yellow Jackets will be in the upcoming years with the heart and determination displayed on the big stage.
Moorefield 8-10 Softball All-Stars suffered a 15-nil loss to eventual West Virginia state champion Barboursville in the opening round of the Herd division, but showed the resilience in battling back in the consolation round.
Moorefield edged Sissonville 6-3 to stay alive and kept the momentum going.
Margo See earned the win against Sissonville pitching a dozen strikeouts and allowed four hits with six walks.
Danica Mongold paced Moorefield at the plate with three hits and two RBIs and one run scored.
Addie Baldwin garnered two hits and scored thrice along with one RBI to help lift Moorefield.
Baldwin recorded an inside-the-park home run to tie the game in the third inning.
Moorefield scored twice in the fourth and sixth innings to secure the win.
See walked in the fourth inning and stole home, while Mongold singled and swiped home, too.
Moorefield dispatched Sophia 11-1 in the Herd runner-up semifinals.
Moorefield’s Danica Mongold and Addie Baldwin combined for a no-hitter against Sophia.
Mongold pitched 3.2 innings with nine strikeouts and allowed zero hits and Baldwin was the closer with one strikeout.
Margo See led Moorefield at the plate with a home run and triple.
Mongold plated See on that triple with a sharp grounder which turned into an error in the third inning for a 4-0 lead.
Presley Shockey added an RBI single up the middle putting Moorefield up 5-0.
Moorefield’s Tinely Crites notched her second single of the game in the fourth inning and plated Baldwin (single) in the process.
See smashed an inside-the-park home run going Crites and her teammates for a celebration and 9-1 advantage.
Moorefield loaded the bases on single by Mongold and Shockey, plus a walk to Hadley Weese.
Moorefield sealed the 11-1 win on bases loaded walks to Parker Sions and Sada Michael.
Logan edged Moorefield in the Herd runner-up finals 8-3.
Moorefield took the initial lead in the opening frame, then Logan battled back in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead.
Moorefield answered in the fourth inning to regain the lead, 3-2.
Logan responded with six runs in the bottom half of the frame to go up 8-3 and kept that score for the win.
Logan’s Sadie pitched 12 strikeouts and allowed seven hits in the victory.
See was equally impressive in the circle allowing just three hits and tossed eight strikeouts in 4.1 innings, while Mongold added two strikeouts.
See led Moorefield with three hits including a triple, followed by Baldwin and Mongold with two hits apiece.
See singled into right field with two outs in the first inning and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Mongold.
Logan scored twice off an error to take the lead.
Baldwin hit a sharp grounder past second base for a single to commence the fourth inning.
Baldwin stole home plate moments before a strikeout.
See hammered a triple into center field and scored on an RBI blooper by Mongold into the right center field gap.
Logan broke the game open in the fourth inning with a mix of walks, hits and errors.
Moorefield took the loss, but proved there is a bright future for the Yellow Jackets buzzing in the Little League right now.
“What an incredible journey it’s been, one we’ll be talking about and remembering for years to come. This season wasn’t just about the wins and losses, it was about the memories made, the friendships built, and the growth that happens on and off the field. We’re so proud of everything you’ve accomplished and the player and person you’re becoming. Keep working hard, keep believing in yourself, and keep chasing your dreams,” Moorefield 8-10 Softball All-Stars manager Morgan Hill remarked.
