Apr. 5—MORGANTOWN — After opening the season 3-3 through its first six games, with all three losses coming by a single run, the Morgantown High School baseball team has won its last five outings to build some crucial momentum heading into the toughest stretch of its schedule.
The most recent victory came Saturday morning as MHS (8-3) defeated Robert C. Byrd 11-3 at Dale Miller Field.
The Mohigans scored their 11 runs on seven hits, led by Quincy Joseph with a pair of knocks and two RBI. MHS stole nine bases, three coming from Mason Bowers, who drew two walks and scored all three times he reached base.
MHS starting pitcher Lucas Shinn tossed 6.1 innings, giving up six hits and allowing three runs with a pair of strikeouts.
"Just really have to compliment our guys ; we challenged our level of maturity four games in a row, and mentally, they've stayed in the fight, " MHS head coach Pat Sherald said. "Credit also goes to Lucas Shinn ; we needed an outing from someone who could go out and throw pitches for us and eat up some innings, and he delivered."
MHS started early with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. One of the Eagles' six errors allowed the first. Joseph singled to left for the second, Eli Boggs sacrificed home the third, and Jackson Bredeson drove in the fourth on a ground out.
Robert C. Byrd found offense in the second and third frames, adding three runs between the two, but wouldn't see another for the remainder of the game, and the MHS defense made the necessary plays behind Shinn.
"I really enjoy how athletic we are on defense, " Sherald said. "I also love how we've been running the bases and making decisions."
MHS added its sixth run in the bottom of the fourth when Bean Nipper stole home with two outs to extend the lead to 6-3.
After a scoreless fifth inning for both teams, the Mohigans sealed the deal in the sixth with five runs to swell the lead to eight, 11-3.
Bowers scored on a wild pitch, followed by a single by Joseph that brought Weston Mazey home. Carsin Lawhun stole third and then scored on a wild pitch, as did Brooks King a few pitches later on an error in the RCB infield. Boggs capped the inning for MHS, scoring on a groundball by Carson Velickoff for the 11th run.
Now, with the momentum of the past week and a five-game win streak, the Mohigans enter what may be the hardest stretch of their 2025 season.
"Next week is a big week for us as far as regional play and what the end of the year will look like, " Sherald said. "We're going to have to pitch, first and foremost. Right now the message to our guys is, when the phone rings, you answer it and go out and do your job. We have to be like firemen in here, so when the call comes, they've got to go."
MHS will host Wheeling Park on Monday and Parkersburg South on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they will travel across Mylan Park to battle University on Shilling Field before heading to Kendrick Family Ballpark for the Mon County Classic for three games between Friday and Saturday.
BOX SCORE Morgantown 11, Robert C. Byrd 3 RCB 021 000 0 — 3 7 6 MHS 410 105 X — 11 7 0 Robert C. Byrd (4-2) — Floyd 4030 Carvelli 4110 Shaffer 4020 Destito 0100 Ford 3110 Frum 3001 O'Mara 1001 Finster 3000 Lane 1000 Dobbins 1000 2B: Floyd, Ford Morgantown (8-3) — Bowers 2310 Mazey 2211 Aloi 3110 Joseph 4022 Boggs 3102 Bredeson 1001 Henkins 1110 Velickoff 2001 Campbell 4000 Nipper 3110 2B: Bowers (W) Shinn: 6.1ip 6h 3r 3bb 2k (L) O'Mara: 1.0 ip 1h 4r 3bb 0k
