MORGANTOWN — Opportunity knocked on Morgantown’s door on Wednesday night as the Mohigans hosted cross-town rival University at Dale Miller Field in Mylan Park for an early-season MoHawk matchup on the diamond.
MHS (4-2) swung the door wide open in an 8-6 come-from-behind win over the Hawks (4-2) in which the victors scored six of their eight runs on two swings of the bat, including a bases-clearing double by senior catcher Caleb Nutter with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
“Caleb and I had that conversation before his at-bat about not wanting another guy in that spot,” MHS coach Pat Sherald said. “Really proud of him stepping up in that spot. There’s no quit in this team. We preach one inning at a time and the guys put together some quality at-bats there to close the game.”
Judd Messerly earned the win in relief of MHS starter Maddox Bowers, as Dylan Travinski got the save.
The Hawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first when senior Wenkai Campbell singled to right field, scoring Mason Chaney and Brodee Latocha. UHS added a third when Campbell took home on a wild pitch.
It didn’t take long for MHS to equalize, doing so on one swing when Tommy Montague homered to left field with two runners on base, knotting the game at 3-3.
With one out in the top of the second, University’s Brance McCune singled to right field, bringing Connor Osborne around to take another lead, 4-3.
A 1-2-3 inning for UHS starter Logan Vance in the bottom of the second gave the Hawks momentum into the top half of the third and they added their fifth run on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Grabo that scored Campbell from third to extend the lead 5-3.
Neither team found success at the plate again until the bottom of the fifth as Nutter singled, scoring Koa Silvers and cutting the lead back to one run 5-4.
UHS sophomore Max Cash put his team back ahead by two with a hard-hit double in the top of the sixth, but that would be the last hit of the game for the Hawks.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Grabo walked three straight batters to load the bases and bring Nutter to the plate.
The Hawks changed pitchers, bringing Latocha in relief of Grabo but Nutter had other plans. The senior swung at the first pitch of the at-bat and drove a laser into the right field corner for a bases-clearing double that gave MHS its first lead 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning.
“I just went up there and tried to have fun,” Nutter said of his big hit. “Every kid dreams of a moment like that. Bases loaded, game down to the wire. I wasn’t trying to do anything I don’t normally do. Go through my progression and routine and have a quality (at-bat).”
MHS added its eighth and final run when Montague drove in his fourth run of the game on a single to right.
“It was a well-played baseball game today, we’re proud of our guys’ effort today,” UHS coach Brad Comport said. “A swing here or a swing there for us and it’s a completely different story. They took advantage of some big opportunities and got the big hits when it really mattered.”
Both the Hawks and Mohigans return to action at Dale Miller Field this afternoon as UHS will face John Marshall at 1:00 p.m. followed by the Mohigans playing a doubleheader against the Monarchs at 3:00 p.m. and Uniontown (Pa.) at 5:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE
Morgantown 8, University 6
UHS 311 001 0 – 6 7 0
MHS 300 014 X – 8 7 1
UNIVERSITY (4-2) – Latocha 3100 Chaney 4110 Anderson 3000 Campbell 4232 Grabo 3001 McDonald 2100 Cash 3021 McDonough 3000 McCune 2011
2B: Cash (2), Chaney
3B: Campbell
MORGANTOWN (4-2) – Silvers 3210 Mazey 1200 Nutter 3124 Travinski 2010 Montague 2124 Boggs 4000 Wolfe 3000 Fields 3010 Bowers 2100
2B: Nutter
HR: Montague
WP: Messerly 2.0ip 2h 1r 0bb 1k
LP: Grabo 0.2ip, 0h 3r 3bb 1k
S: Travinski 1.0ip, 0h, 0r, 1bb, 1k
