MORGANTOWN — It takes a lot to put together a 10-game winning streak. It only takes one inning to end it.
That was the case Tuesday evening on Lynch Field at Mylan Park as the John Marshall Monarchs scored seven runs in the top of the fourth inning and won 9-1 to put an end to University’s winning streak.
“If you take that out it’s a whole new game,” UHS coach Mindy Parks said. “It sucked the life out of us.”
The game started as a three-inning pitchers’ dual between JM senior Kadence Pettit and UHS freshman Maddie Campbell.
Campbell was clean through the first three innings, allowing one hit but being aided when catcher Olivia Masoner threw out a would-be base stealer in the second inning. Pettit, too, was impressive and the first run of the game came when Masoner hit a triple into the right-field corner that scored Anna Argabrite and gave UHS a 1-0 lead after three innings.
The Monarchs responded in a big way in the top of the fourth. Paytyn Tucker led off with a walk and came around to tie the game on an RBI triple from Ava Blake. Pettit, Kaylee White and Carlie Keyser followed with run-scoring hits and JM suddenly led 4-1. Tucker drove in two more on a single and Blake drew a bases-loaded walk to push the advantage to 7-1.
“We started making better contact,” JM coach Ed West said. “Once you see a pitcher once or twice through the lineup, you maybe get a better feel. I thought (Campbell) looked really effective there in the first couple of innings and kept us off balance. Sometimes it just snowballs once you get a couple of hits.”
“If you take that out it’s a whole new game. It sucked the life out of us,” Parks said. “We didn’t have timely hits, but they had that. A couple of walks, which isn’t typical with our pitchers, a hit batter, they had a couple hard hits and it just kind of kept going.”
UHS committed two errors in the inning as Campbell walked four batters and hit another in the frame.
Sophia Lehosit came on in relief with two outs in the fourth and pitched the final 3 1/3 innings.
The Hawks had runners on base in six of the seven innings but other than Masoner’s triple, never got the big hit they needed. UHS left eight runners on base in the game.
“We had nine hits, but you can’t score one run against that team,” Parks said. “We weren’t without chances, we left way too many runners on base. That could’ve changed that game really quick. That inning really took us out of the game, we were up 1-0 and then it’s 7-1 and I think they kind of shut down after that.”
JM added two more runs in the top of the seventh when Pettit sent a ball out to left-center field that scored herself and Blake. Pettit finished with seven strikeouts in seven innings in the circle, allowing just one run on nine hits with no walks. At the plate, she had three hits, including the home run, as well as three RBI and two runs scored.
“She works on her game all the time, she works year-round,” West said of Pettit. “She is committed to the sport and it’s paying dividends. I can’t say enough about her. We wouldn’t be where we are without her.”
Blake finished with two hits, two RBI and two runs.
Masoner led UHS with two hits and an RBI and Ally Jansen had three hits.
Campbell’s final pitching line was 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts.
UHS is back in action tonight at Wheeling Park.
John Marshall 9, University 1
JM 000 700 2 — 9 8 1
UHS 001 000 0 — 1 9 2
JM — Tucker 3 1 1 2; Inclan 3 0 0 0; Blake 3 2 2 2; Pettit 4 2 3 3; Yoho 3 1 0 0; White 2 0 0 1; Thayer 1 0 0 0; Cumberledge 3 1 0 0; Keyser 3 1 2 1; Miller 3 1 0 0. Totals 28 9 8 9.
UHS — Campbell 4 0 1 0; Argabrite 4 1 1 0; Masoner 3 0 2 1; Huebsch 4 0 0 0; Lehosit 3 0 2 0; Weaver 3 0 0 0; Jansen 3 0 3 0; Barnhart 2 0 0 0; Royce 1 0 0 0; Park 3 0 0 0. Totals 30 1 9 1.
3B — JM: Blake. UHS: Masoner.
HR — JM: Pettit.
WP — Pettit 7ip, 9h, 1r, 0bb, 7k
LP — Campbell 3.2ip, 5h, 7r, 4bb, 4k
TWEET @CodyNespor
