MORGANTOWN — A double by Morgantown second baseman Jocelyn McCartney in the bottom of the seventh inning pushed MHS (12-9-1) past Wheeling Park (10-17) 8-7 in the opening round of the Class AAA Region I softball sectionals. The walk-off winner was McCartney’s third hit of the night.
Seven different batters combined for 12 total hits for MHS and seven RBIs on eight runs scored. Emily Goldcamp also had three hits for the Mohigans as both her and McCartney knocked in three runs each.
The Patriots were the first to score a run in a game that saw two ties and one lead change. With two outs and the bases loaded in the 1st inning, MHS pitcher Micah Wilson walked in a run. Shelby Crow then singled to center field, scoring two additional runs for WPHS to give her team a 3-0 lead before the Mohigans could even step to the plate.
MHS kept pace with the Patriots with two runs of its own in the opening frame. Goldcamp tripled to score the first and the next came on a fielder’s choice ground ball to second.
Wilson dug in after giving up three runs in the first to throw three straight scoreless innings. Her team also helped out at the plate, adding five runs in that same span (three runs in the second and two in the third). MHS head coach Lorri Lipscomb said she’s seen her team progress consistently at the plate throughout the season, getting hot at the right time in the postseason.
“I always tell them that we are a good hitting team from the top to the bottom of our lineup and they are believing it now,” she said of her team’s effort at the plate. “We’ve worked on being aggressive when we need to and patient and working for a good pitch to hit. Sometimes the bottom of our lineup has carried us in games.”
Trailing 7-3 in the top of the fifth, the Patriots once again found a rally with two outs. A single scored two runs to cut the lead in half going to the bottom of the inning.
MHS failed to score, leaving the door cracked for WPHS to keep chipping away at the lead. With two outs in the sixth and a runner at first, Patriots pitcher Makenna Kelly doubled to center field, scoring the runner and cutting the lead to one run. Another scoreless inning by MHS gave WPHS a chance to tie it in the top of the seventh inning.
The Patriots did just that on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 7-7 after trailing 7-3 three innings prior. The third out was earned by MHS but not before the damage was done. The Mohigans had a chance to end the game and avoid extra innings.
A single by Liz Alsop lead off the inning for MHS, followed by a pop fly to left field that kept her at bay on first. Anne Robinson reached first base after a hard hit ground ball was overthrown to first as Alsop advanced to second.
With two runners on base and only one out, McCartney swung at the first pitch she saw and belted it over the head of the left fielder, allowing Alsop to score and gave her team the 8-7 walk-off win to open the postseason.
“It felt really awesome to get the walk-off hit and to win the game for my team,” McCartney said of her game-winning hit.
“I think the story of our season is we never quit and timely hits and good defense helped tonight when they came back. I always say that’s why God made home teams,” Lipscomb said.
The Mohigans will travel to John Marshall on Thursday in the winner’s bracket after the Monarchs knocked off Brooke. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.
Wheeling Park will face Brooke with its season on the line.
Wheeling Park
Derrow 3 0 0 0 Randolph 5 1 1 0 Strothers 5 1 1 1 Kelly 4 0 1 1 Kozlowski 1 2 1 0 Thompson 2 0 0 1 Crow 4 0 2 4 O’Bryant 4 1 1 0 Nolte 3 0 0 0
Morgantown (12-9-1)
McCartney 4 2 3 3 Anthony 3 2 1 0 Goldcamp 4 1 3 3 Marietta 2 0 0 1 Harki 4 0 1 0 Wilson 3 0 1 0 Peterson 1 0 0 0 Alsop 4 1 2 0 Biafore 3 1 1 0 Robinson 1 1 0 0
WPHS 300 021 1 – 7
MHS 230 200 2 – 8
Pitching
WPHS – Kelly 3.1 5h 7r 6er 0so 5bb; Theiss 3ip 4h 1r 1er 1so 1bb.
MHS – Wilson 5.2ip 7h 6r 4er 5so 8bb; Alsop 1.1ip 2h 1r 1er 1so 0bb.
