GLEN DALE — If John Marshall is to defend its West Virginia Class AAA state softball champion, it is going to have to do so out of the loser’s bracket of the Section I Tournament.
The top-seeded Monarchs (21-7) dropped an 8-3 verdict to No. 2 Morgantown Wednesday on sun-splashed Monarch Field in the double-elimination event. JM entered No. 3 in the final state coaches poll, with Morgantown three sports behind.
“It was just one of those days,” John Marshall first-year head coach Rob Blake said. “That’s the way the ball bounces sometimes. One good thing about it (the loss) is that we get to play a couple more games now.”
John Marshall will host Wheeling Park today at 5 p.m. in an elimination game. The winner will have to beat Morgantown twice for the sectional title, the first game set for Friday in Glen Dale at 5. Should the Monarchs or Patriots force a second game, it would be played on Saturday, also in Glen Dale, at a time to be announced.
Both coaches agreed that one swing of the bat in the first inning changed the complexion of the game.
“It sure did,” Blake said of the homer.
After John Marshall’s A.C. Cumberlidge retired the first two Mohigans on two pitches, she walked Liz Alsop and yielded a bloop single to right by winning pitcher Micah (Mo) Wilson. Maddie Wisman, the hero of the OVAC Class 5A championship last week, sent an 0-1 offering well over the fence in left for a 3-0 lead the visitors would never relinquish.
“It absolutely changed the game early on. It was contagious,” Morgantown head coach Lori Lipscomb said. “It gave us momentum.”
John Marshall cut into the deficit in the third as Kaylee White lined a double over the left fielder’s head that scored Ava Blake, who had walked, and left Monarchs on second and third with only one out. However, Wilson got out of further trouble with a strike out and a grounder to second.
Coach Blake elected to intentionally walk Wisman to start the fourth, but the strategy backfired as the next hitter, Paige Rhodes, reached on an error. A single to center by Kate Larmier loaded the bases. Anne Robinson bounced into a fielder’s choice as Wisman was erased at the plate. However, Emily Peterson drilled a single down the first base line that scored two runs, bumping the lead to 6-1.
Morgantown (18-7) added to its lead in the sixth when Grace Robinson reached on an error leading off. With one out, Peterson lined a single to the gap in left-center that advanced Grace Robinson to third. Alsop followed with a liner off the glove of Nora Shook’s glove at third and caromed to Blake at short, but her throw to first was wide of the mark as two runs crossed, making it 8-1.
“We took advantage of their mistakes. They would’ve done the same to us,” Lipscomb noted.
Carlee Yoho’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth made it 8-3 as the blast to deep left scored White who had reached on an error.
Cumberlidge pitched into the sixth and left with second and third with only one out. Shelby Crow came in and put the fire out on four pitches.
“I thought Shelby came in and did a terrific job,” Coach Blake praised. “She came into a difficult situation, but got out of it.” The combined eight walks were a season-high for John Marshall.
The Monarchs also committed an uncharacteristic three errors.
“We didn’t field well today and we had some bad baserunning there in the second with the bases loaded and only one out,” Coach Blake pointed out.
“The last time we won a sectional championship we were in the same section with UHS (University High). It’s been a long time,” Lipscomb said. “To me, this is one of the hardest sections in the state to get out of with teams like John Marshall, Wheeling Park and us.”
Wilson went the distance inside the circle for the first time all season after battling arm issues. She fanned five, walked four and surrendered five hits.
“She’s working her way back into form. It was good to see her pitch like that,” Lipscomb added. “Hopefully, she gets stronger as we go on.”
BY KIM NORTH/The Intelligencer
BOX SCORE
Morgantown 8, John Marshall 3
MHS 300 302 0 – 8 6 1
JM 001 002 0 – 3 5 3
M–Wilson wp (5K, 4BB) and Rhodes; Peterson 2S, 2rbi; Wilson 2S, rbi; Wissman HR, 3rbi
JM–Cumberlidge lp (3K, 7BB), Crow (6), (1K, 1BB) and Inclan; White D, rbi; Yoho S, HR, 2rbi
