WHEELING — Morgantown played its way into Friday’s OVAC 5A softball championship finale by knocking off top-seeded Steubenville Big Red at the I-470 Complex in Wheeling Wednesday afternoon.
The Mohigans found the stroke early, totaling seven runs on 12 hits off Big Red starter Sadie Edwards and reliever Katie Renforth. The result saw head coach Lori Lipscomb’s club earn a cherished 7-1 victory on a chilly Wednesday evening in Wheeling.
Morgantown will face defending W.V. Class AAA champion John Marshall, which dispatched cross-town rival University 6-4 in the nightcap, for the OVAC 5A title at 5 p.m. on Friday. The game was moved to Friday because of Morgantown’s prom.
It wasn’t Mo Wilson’s arm that pitched the Mohigans into the title game this time, though her bat certainly did its fair share of damage.
No, the calming influence in the circle Wednesday belonged to the strong right arm of sophomore Maddie Wisman.
Wisman allowed one run on a pair of singles, recording six strikeouts in the process against a fairly dangerous Big Red lineup. Steubenville reached the state tournament in Ohio in 2023.
But whenever a Big Red hitter managed to get a solid stroke on the ball, Wisman’s defense backed her up without fail.
“That’s one thing our defense has been pretty solid,” Lipscomb said. “When they are backing her up it gives her more confidence and she can just concentrate on throwing the ball knowing the defense will back her up.”
Wisman likely wasn’t who Big Red expected to see in the circle. Wilson, a first-team all-state hurler in 2023, likely would have received the ball except she’s been battling an arm injury.
So Lipscomb decided to go with the young sophomore while allowing Wilson to still bat as the team’s designated player.
It paid off, as it has all season. Stepping into those shoes in a pressure situation couldn’t have been easy, but Lipscomb had no doubt about Wisman’s ability to not only be ready but also flourish.
“She’s that player that she wants to be there, she’s got that drive and her energy makes us all better,” Lipscomb said.
Anne Robinson walked to start the game and after reaching second on a sacrifice, she was driven home when Wilson clubbed a double to left with two away.
That early 1-0 lead certainly didn’t hurt Wisman’s confidence.
Two innings later, the Mohigans pushed a second runner across. Liz Alsop doubled with two outs, and again, Wilson delivered, lining a run-scoring single into center.
Big Red answered the next half inning, trimming the deficit to one at 2-1.
Morgantown responded, with third baseman Kate Larimer launching an Edwards pitch over the fence in left for a solo shot. MHS added a fourth run before the inning ended.
Wilson finished with three RBI on a pair of base hits along with the first-inning double.
MHS’ attention turns to Friday, where Lipscomb admitted it didn’t matter which team the Mohigans would face. Either JM or University is well familiar with Morgantown, and vice versa.
“We’ll take whomever we get and hopefully, we come out and play again like we did (Wednesday) and we’ll have a shot,” she said.
Morgantown and University split two games this season, with the Mohigans taking the most recent matchup, 8-0, back on April 15. JM, meanwhile, owns a 6-4 win against MHS from March 20.
By MIKE HUGHES/For The Dominion Post
BOX SCORE
OVAC Class 5A Semifinal
Morgantown 7, Steubenville 1
Morgantown 101 203 0 — 7 12 1
Steubenville 001 000 0 — 1 2 1
M — Wisman wp (6SO, 4W) and Rhodes. Peterson 2S, rbi; Alsop D; M.Wilson 2S, D, 3rbi; Wisman S, rbi; Rhodes 2S, rbi; Larimer HR, rbi.
S — Edwards lp (4SO, 2W), Renforth (4) (0SO, 4W) and Smarrella. Edwards S, rbi; Tuttle S.
