GRANVILLE — Coaches will sometimes advise their players to just sleep off a bad loss. When time is short, however, perhaps a couple-mile bus ride will do the trick just as well.
After losing 6-0 to Wheeling Park on Dale Miller Field Saturday afternoon, the Spring Mills baseball team got on their bus and made the short drive over to Kendrick Family Ballpark to take on University.
“These guys are resilient,” Spring Mills coach Bradley Barrett said. “We talk about it all the time to just clear your head and play the next day, but we were playing in 30 minutes and had to figure it out.”
Whatever happened on that drive worked as the Cardinals (7-15) downed the Hawks (10-11) 10-1 on the final day of the Mon County Classic.
“We were just kind of throw-and-go and see what happens,” Barrett said.
The stabilizing force for Spring Mills was one of the team’s lone seniors, starting pitcher Brandon Montgomery. Montgomery threw a complete-game two-hitter that included working out of a couple of jams early on to allow the SM offense to build up its lead.
“We’ve got a young team,” Barrett said. “We’ve got two seniors and he is our rock. He’s our biggest leader just doing his thing and getting the job done.”
University got two runners on and in scoring position in the second, third and fourth innings, but didn’t have anything to show for it until Colson Jenkins’ sacrifice fly brought home the Hawks’ lone run in the bottom of the fourth.
“Our approach wasn’t great,” UHS coach Brad Comport said. “Credit to their pitcher, he threw a ton of strikes, but we did nothing to put any pressure on the defense. When we did have runners in scoring position, we didn’t capitalize.”
That made it a 4-1 game as the Spring Mills offense was just starting to roll.
Like he did on the mound, Montgomery led the way at the plate. His leadoff single in the top of the second produced the first run when he later scored on a throwing error.
SM added another run in the third and two in the fourth on a two-run single by Rylan Swartz. The Cardinals had eight consecutive productive at-bats to lead off the fifth to produce four runs and blow the game open.
In total, the Cardinals drew 10 walks and only struck out three times in the contest. Swartz had two hits and three RBI, JP Sweeney had three hits and an RBI and Aiden Eichelberger had two hits and two RBI. Second baseman Trestyn Wysocki drew five walks and scored three times.
“Our first two games (this weekend) I don’t think we scored a run,” Barrett said. “It was nice to put up 10 in this game. Low strikeouts and a lot of walks is a big thing.”
University’s first hit didn’t come until Mason McDonald lined a ball into left field in the bottom of the fifth inning. By that time, the Hawks had already stranded four runners in scoring position.
“It’s a game of momentum and we didn’t execute with runners in scoring position early on and they did,” Comport said. “They capitalized on their opportunities and ultimately we just weren’t able to make it a game.”
University began the day with an 18-6 loss to St. Maria Goretti (Md.) at Mylan Park. Goretti scored 13 runs over the fifth and sixth innings to slip a 6-4 UHS lead.
Brodee Latocha hit a home run and had a pair of RBI. Mason Chaney, Riley Anderson and Brock McDonough each had a hit and an RBI.
BOX SCORE
Spring Mills 10, University 1
SM 011 240 2 — 10 11 1
UHS 000 100 0 — 1 2 2
SPRING MILLS (7-15) — Anders 4 1 0 0; Wysocki 0 3 0 1; Sweeney 5 0 3 1; Swartz 3 1 2 3; Cumley 5 0 0 0; Eichelberger 4 1 2 2; Montgomery 2 1 1 0; Butts 5 1 1 1; Trumpower 4 2 2 0. Totals 32 10 11 8.
UNIVERSITY (10-12) — McDonald 3 0 1 0; Latocha 3 0 0 0; Campbell 3 0 0 0; Chaney 2 1 0 0; Anderson 2 0 0 0; Cash 3 0 1 0; Jenkins 1 0 0 1; McDonough 2 0 0 0; McCune 1 0 0 0; Seggie 1 0 0 0. Totals 21 1 2 1.
2B — SM: Montgomery, Trumpower.
WP: Montgomery 7ip, 1r, 2h, 3bb, 4k
LP: McDonald 4ip, 5r, 6h, 4bb, 1k
SOFTBALL
Cabell Midland 10, Morgantown 2
Morgantown 5, Greenbrier East 4
MORGANTOWN — Morgantown softball salvaged its final game of the Mon County Classic on Saturday with a 5-4 walk-off win over Greenbrier East on ISS Field at Mylan Park.
Mo Wilson singled home Anne Robinson and Madi Stone with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to overcome a 4-3 deficit.
MHS (13-7) only had four hits but made them count as the Mohigans drew six walks. Kate Larimer had the team’s other RBI.
Maddie Wisman pitched the final four innings in the circle, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out four.
MHS started the day with a 10-2 loss to Cabell Midland. The Knights scored eight runs over the final three innings to secure the win. Wilson and Wisman drove in Morgantown’s runs.
University 10, Greenbrier East 7
MORGANTOWN — University softball concluded its Mon County Classic slate with a win over Greenbrier East, 10-7, Saturday afternoon on Lynch Field at Mylan Park.
Olivia Masoner led the Hawks (15-7) with three hits and three RBI. Sophia Lehosit added two hits and two RBI. Masoner and Lehosit both had a double.
Maddie Campbell also had a pair of hits. Ashlynn Weaver also had a hit and an RBI.
Lehosit pitched 2.1 innings in the circle, striking out three while allowing three runs. Campbell finished the game with 4.2 innings, striking out five while allowing four runs.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) 17, University 5
University 14, Musselman 6
University 20, Spring Mills 8
MARTINSBURG — The University girls’ lacrosse team played a trio of games in the eastern panhandle this weekend, winning two against in-state opponents and dropping the third to a Pennsylvania school.
The Hawks (15-3) fell to Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) 17-5 on Friday. Baylee Wilson scored two goals and had an assist.
UHS then bounced back on Saturday to beat Musselman 14-6 and Spring Mills 20-8.
Anna Nichols scored four goals to lead the charge against Musselman. Jillian Benn added two goals and two assists and Carly Greathouse also scored twice.
Against the Cardinals, Nichols, Benn, Anna McBee and Olivia Stewart each recorded a hat trick. Nichols and McBee each scored four times while Benn and Stewart had three goals each. McBee and Stewart also had a pair of assists.
Lucy Lambert made six saves across the two victories.
The Hawks wrap up the regular season this week with a game at home against Buckhannon-Upshur on Tuesday and a game at East-West Stadium in Fairmont on Thursday.
