GLEN DALE – What a difference a day makes.
In Tuesday’s nearly two-and-a-half hour marathon, Morgantown could do nothing wrong in defeating John Marshall, 9-4, to set up Wednesday’s W.Va. Class AAA Section I, Region I softball championship game.
Twenty-four hours later, it was the top-seeded Monarchs’ (25-4) day.
Behind the 2-hit pitching of Kadence Pettit and an 11-hit attack, John Marshall rolled to a 10-0 victory over the visiting Mohigans (19-10) in a game stopped after four-and-a-half innings due to the 10-run mercy rule on the Monarchs’ home diamond.
“I told the girls after yesterday’s (Tuesday) loss that tomorrow (Wednesday) is a new day,” veteran John Marshall head coach Ed West said. “This game (a 9-4 loss) is over and we have to come back strong tomorrow and play our game. We did just that.
“That’s the sign of a championship team,” he said of his team’s ability to bounce back after a tough loss. “We’ve got some lofty goals and, hopefully, we can continue our run.”
After throwing 145 pitches a day earlier, Pettit, a West Liberty recruit, needed just 69 in limiting the hard-hitting Mohigans to a pair of harmless singles. She struck out seven, including the side in the top of the fifth, and didn’t walk a batter. She did hit a pair. Fifty of her offerings were strikes.
She did, however, have to wiggle out of a first-inning jam. After striking out the first two batters, Pettit allowed a solid single to center by Emily Peterson. Pettit then plunked Micah Wilson and Abigail Harki to load the bases, but she retired the next batter on a foul ball down the right-field line that was tracked down by Nia Miller to end the threat.
“Kadence pitched really well. She’s pitched well before, but that was a really good performance,” West said of his right-handed ace in the circle.
The Mohigans would advance two runners to second base, but none got any further.
“It’s just the confidence we have in each other. Yesterday (Tuesday) we had a bad day,” Pettit admitted. “Today we came out ready to play.
“Everybody has their day. Yesterday (Tuesday) was their day. Today was our day and I’m glad we’re moving on.”
It didn’t take long for the fireworks to begin as senior Paytyn Tucker drilled a 1-1 pitch from Wilson over the fence in center for her first round-tripper of the season. Marshall University recruit Ava Blake was next and the junior slugger sent a 2-0 Wilson offering well over the fence in straightaway center for a 2-0 lead. It was her 13th of the season.
That would be all the run support Pettit would need as she fanned the side in order in the second.
“I told Paytyn we are going to forget about the slap hits today and we’re going to hit the ball,” West recalled. “The first time up she jacks one out of the park. I’m really proud of her and I bet she feels good about it, too.”
Pettit said the two early runs really helped with her confidence.
“I know that everyone in our lineup can hit the ball,” the senior said. “I’m really happy for Paytyn. I’m so excited to be a teammate of hers for the next four years.”
John Marshall blew the game wide open in the second with a 6-run outburst that saw 11 Monarchs go to the plate.
Kaylee White doubled to the fence in right-center leading off and Carlee Yoho singled to left. After AC Cumberlidge lined out to second, Reese Ward bunted for a hit to load the bases. Masyn Inclan singled in White and Tucker, another WLU recruit, sent a sinking liner down the left field line that ticked off the glove of a diving Liz Alsop and caromed away as Yoho and Ward circled the bases and Tucker pulled into second with a double. Blake was intentionally walked to re-load the bases and Pettit sent a slow dribbler up the first base line that resulted in an RBI single as the margin grew to 7-0. Carlie Keyser’s sacrifice fly to right plated Blake for an 8-0 reading.
The Monarchs concluded the rout with two outs in the third. Inclan dropped a seeing-eye single into shallow center and Tucker reached on an error. Blake’s looper down the right field line was just out of the reach of a diving Kate Larimer as courtesy runner Tori Finley and Tucker easily scored on the triple. Larimer had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury.
“Defensive mistakes in the field hurt us and their pitching was better than ours today,” Morgantown head coach Lori Lipscomb said. “Whenever you play a team like John Marshall, you’ve got to come out with guns blazing and we didn’t do that today.
“We’ll take some satisfaction from taking them to three games, but we’re a young team and we’ll be back.”
Wilson, after throwing 127 pitches on Tuesday, fired 82 pitches Wednesday, with 55 being strikes.
John Marshall, winners of 12 of the last 14 sectionals, will meet Region II winner, University, a 7-0, winner over Bridgeport on Wednesday, in a best-of-3 regional next Monday. Game 1 is in Morgantown, with Game 2 shifting back to Marshall County. Should a third game be needed, it would be hosted by University on Wednesday. All contests begin at 5:30 p.m. The regional winner advances to the state tournament.
BY KIM NORTH/The Intelligencer
