Apr. 7—MORGANTOWN — The Morgantown High School baseball team battled No. 3 Wheeling Park for the second time this season on a chilly Monday evening on Dale Miller Field at Mylan Park.
MHS (7-4) fell 6-5 in the first contest on March 25 in Wheeling and saw another one-run defeat (its fourth of the season) to the Patriots (9-1) on Monday, 3-2, despite being outhit 11 to 4 in the game.
Junior Mason Bowers owned two of the four Mohigan hits. The Patriots had four batters produce multihit games, including the eight and nine hitters in the lineup.
MHS starter Grayson Campbell tossed six innings, allowing nine hits and two runs with a pair of walks and strikeouts.
Wheeling Park pitcher Ryland Robb earned the complete-game win, throwing seven innings, giving up four hits and two runs, walking one and striking out three batters.
"We've lost four one-run games to some of the top teams in the rankings in the state, and I compliment our guys for staying in the fight every game, " MHS head coach Pat Sherald said. "That's a quality baseball team. I'm proud of Grayson Campbell today, who really competed for us and gave a heck of an outing. You know, when a high school pitcher goes out and gives up one or two runs, you have to find a way to win that ball game."
Both starters and their defenses were strong for the opening four innings of the game. The Mohiags didn't find their first hit until the bottom of the fourth, as Bowers singled to lead off the inning. He advanced on a wild pitch and took third on a sacrifice bunt by Weston Mazey.
A pitch hit Vinnie Aloi to give MHS runners on the corners with one out, but the next batter, Quincy Joseph, hit a line drive to third base that was snagged out of the air by Park's Coldin Burkhart and he caught Bowers off the bag for the inning-ending double play.
The Patriots capitalized in the top of the fifth as Paul McGee led off with a triple to right field and then scored the opening run on a single by Miles Gorby.
MHS got out of the inning, trailing only by one, but was shut down in the fifth in 12 pitches by Robb.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Bowers singled again to give MHS a much-needed baserunner. He stole second and took third on a passed ball, followed by Mazey drawing a walk.
The Mohigans tried to tie the game as Mazey broke for second and Bowers for home as the Park catcher threw to second base. A relay throw came home from Park's Nate Yanchak and caught Bowers just before he safely touched home, preserving the lead for the visitors.
The Patriots added two more runs in the top of the seventh to pull ahead 3-0, but the Mohigans showed life in the final frame.
Jackson Bredeson singled with two outs and was followed by Eli Boggs, who slapped a single to right field. The ball got past McGee of Wheeling Park and rolled to the wall, allowing Bredeson to score from first and Boggs to earn the inside-the-park home run and cutting the deficit to one, 3-2.
But MHS came up short with a pop-out in the infield to end the game.
"You know we have a line drive that goes six inches in either direction, and you probably have two RBIs that change the course of the game, " Sherald said. "But you have to give Wheeling Park credit for swinging the bats like they did today and limiting their strikeouts. That's a quality team."
BOX SCORE Wheeling Park 3, Morgantown 2 WP 000 010 2 — 3 11 1 MHS 000 000 2 — 2 4 2 Wheeling Park (9-1) — Whitmire 2100 Updegraff 3120 Simon 4010 Robb 3011 Digiandomenico 3020 Yanchak 4000 Short 4010 McGee 3120 Gorby 3021 3B: McGee Morgantown (7-4) — Bowers 3020 Mazey 1000 aloi 2000 Joseph 3000 Bredeson 3110 Boggs 3110 Thornton 3000 Campbell 2000 Nipper 2000 (W) Robb: 7.0ip 4h 3r 1bb 3k (L) Campbell: 6.0ip 9h 2r 2bb ...
