MORGANTOWN — The Morgantown High softball team were defeated by Wheeling Park 7-6 in 9 innings Wednesday night at Mylan Park in an early look between the sectional rivals.
It ended with a furious Mohigans’ comeback attempt — twice — but the Patriots were able to pull it out.
“It was a hard fought game, we had multiple opportunities to put the game away but came up short,” MHS head coach Lorri Lipscomb said. “Errors hurt us for sure tonight. Mikala Rogers threw a stellar game and that last call on her at second was close. She was making a great effort but unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”
The game began with the pitchers for both teams dueling through the first two innings. Rogers for MHS (2-4) and McKenna Kelly for WPHS kept the game hitless, and both remained perfect after facing six batters.
Park then opened the 3rd with a leadoff double, followed by a sacrifice bunt that allowed the runner to advance to third base after an overthrow by the MHS catcher, allowing WPHS to score the first run of the game. The next batter would bunt to score the runner from third, but MHS couldn’t get the out at first — 2-0 Patriots in the top of the 3rd, zero outs and a runner on first. Rogers got a strikeout on the next batter but a bloop single gave Park a 3-0 lead in the top of the 3rd.
MHS got its first runner on a walk in the bottom of the frame. The next batter reached on a bad throw to first, advancing the lead runner to third. MHS found itself with two runners on with only one out, still down by 3. MHS couldn’t get another run and hit into two flyouts to end the inning.
Rogers would then hold the Patriots to just three batters in the 4th.
MHS got a base runner with two outs, looking to get its first run of the game. Kelly walked her second batter of the game and the Mohigans put two on in the fourth with two outs. A hard hit ground ball was then eaten up by the Patriots’ shortstop and the force was applied at second to keep MHS scoreless.
Park got another base runner in the 5th with one out, looking to extend lead late in the game. Rogers earned her 10th strikeout but her team still trailed 3-0 after the 5th inning, in which they gave up all three runs.
MHS found a base hit by Jocelyn McCartney with one out in the bottom of the 5th. Anne Robinson got to first safely on a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning. The next batter grounded out to the SS to end the inning.
McCartney made a nice throw from one knee for the first out of the 6th inning. Park didn’t even get a runner in the 6th. Mohigans come to the plate needing to find baserunners early in their half of the inning with only 6 outs remaining.
They got their wish on a single up the middle to lead off the bottom half, followed by a fly out on the next pitch. With one on base and one out, the runner advanced to second on a wild pitch. But another flyout to center field kept the runner at second and gave MHS its second out. Rogers drew a walk and gave her team two runners on with two outs. A groundout to the SS ended the inning and gave Park a chance to extend its lead with one inning to play.
WPHS would go three up, three down in the top of the 7th.
That’s when the excitement began for the Mohigans.
MHS got a leadoff double from Micah Wilson then advanced a pinch-runner to third on a sacrifice groundball. With a runner on third and one out for MHS, a bloop single by Robinson to right gave the Mohigans their first run. A walk gave MHS another runner. Emily Goldcamp stepped up to the plate as the winning run as Park made another pitching change.
Goldcamp singled up the middle to drive in the second run of the inning for MHS. They trailed by one run with runners on first and second and only one out. Brianna Marrieta singled up the middle to tie the game at 3-3 as the bench went crazy.
Abigail Harki then came up with two on and one out. She hit the ball into center but Goldcamp was called out at the plate. Harki overran first and was thrown out for a Park double play to send us to extra innings.
The 8th inning wouldn’t see any runs for either team. Then in the top of the 9th, WPHS would blow open another lead with four runs to make it 7-3. MHS would come to bat again, looking to win in extras.
Park got two outs on the first two hitters. Goldcamp then stepped up to the plate as the Mohigans last hope. She walked and Marietta then blasted a two-run HR to cut the lead in half to 7-5. The next batter doubled to deep center to keep MHS in the game with Rogers batting and two outs with a runner on 2nd. Rogers drove in a run but would be thrown out at second to end the game at 7-6 with the Patriots winning.
Rogers finished with 17 strikeouts in the game but her team would fall short. They also out-hit the Patriots 11-6. Five errors deemed crucial for MHS.
MHS will look to get back in the win column as the travel to Steubenville for a game at 5 p.m. Friday.
WHEELING PARK 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 – 7 6 1
MORGANTOWN 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 – 6 11 5
MORGANTOWN (2-4)
Robinson 5 1 1 1 Anthony 4 1 0 0 Goldcamp 4 1 2 1 Marietta 5 1 2 3 Harki 5 0 3 0 Rogers 3 0 1 1 May 0 0 0 0 Biafore 2 1 0 0 Wilson 1 0 1 0 McCartney 3 0 1 0 TOTALS 35 6 11 6
WHEELING PARK
Derrow 5 0 2 2 Strothers 4 0 0 0 Kozlowski 5 0 1 1 Kelly 5 0 0 0
K Kozlowski 4 1 1 0 Thompson 4 1 0 0 Crow 4 2 2 1 Nolte 4 2 0 1 Randolph 3 1 0 1 TOTALS 38 7 6 6
2B – MHS: Harki, Wilson; WPHS: Crow
HR – MHS: Marietta
SB – MHS: Biafore, McCartney; WPHS: F Kozlowski, Thompson, Derrow
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