CHARLESTON — The Morgantown High School baseball team saw its season come to an end in the state semifinals with a defeat to defending state champion Cabell Midland 8-0 on Thursday night at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston.
The Mohigans finish the season with a record of 29-9 as OVAC 5A and Class AAA Region 1 champions after returning to the state tournament for the first time since 2016.
“I’m just proud of this team for making this year what it was,” MHS head coach Pat Shearald said. “We had a lot of new faces this year and we challenged them with a tough schedule and we had players step up for us in all positions. This group has been one of the most fun I’ve had the pleasure to coach.”
Cabell Midland starting pitcher Kenyon Collins gave up only one hit in 6.1 innings for the shutout victory with ten strikeouts. He also drove in four runs and scored a pair as well. Six different Knights had a hit in the contest with six of the eight being for extra bases.
“You have to give Kenyon Collins his credit for his performance tonight and I think that’s what made the difference,” Sherald said. “I told him in the handshake line that I’m rooting for him at Marshall and I’m glad we won’t have to face him anymore. He’s a talented kid.”
Each team saw baserunners in the first and second innings but both starters, Collins for CM and Dylan Travinski for MHS, responded well to keep their opponents scoreless.
The Knights broke the ice in the bottom of the third with a one-out double by Collins that drove in a pair of runs. Luke Samuel brought Collins home with a double of his own to give CM a 3-0 lead after three innings.
MHS went down in three straight outs in the top of the fourth but Travinski responded by doing the same against the Knights in the bottom half of the inning.
“Our pitchers competed tonight and I don’t think the scoreboard reflects the story of the game necessarily,” Sherals said. “Dylan and Tristan (Milik) both threw the ball well and got good outs, you just have to tip your cap to Cabell Midland and Collins for the job they did tonight.”
MHS managed its first and only base hit of the game in the top of the fifth inning by Caleb Nutter on a knock to right field. Collins shut the Mohigans down though and kept them off of the board. MHS stranded multiple base runners in multiple innings as well.
Three more runs came for the Knights in the bottom of the fifth as Ray Ray Williams singled home a run to give his team a 4-0 lead. Samuel then earned his second hit of the night to score two more runs and extend the lead to 6-0.
Another 1-2-3 inning for Collins in the top of the sixth made way for Midland to extend the lead further in the bottom half.
Collins tripled with two runners on for his third and fourth RBIs of the night and an 8-0 lead. MHS failed to score in the top of the seventh.
“These seniors have been great teammates and leaders and have helped set the expectation for our program going forward,” Sherald said. “The senior group got us down here and the younger guys have the taste of it now. The culture of the program is at an all-time high and I think the future of this group is bright.”
BOX SCORE
Cabell Midland 8, Morgantown 0
MHS 000 000 0 – 0 1 2
CM 003 032 X – 8 8 0
Morgantown – Bowers 2000 Silvers 0000 Travinski 2000 Milik 3000 Fields 3000 Wolfe 2000 Boggs 3000 Nutter 3010 Mazey 2000
Cabell Midland – Nida 1210 Williams 3211 Collins 3224 Samuel 4023 Fulks 3000 McCormill 3010 Johnson 3000 Alfrey 2100 Hettlinger 3110
2B: Samuel (2), Collins, Nida
3B: McCormill, Collins
WP: Collins 6.1ip 1h 0r 5bb 10k
LP: Travinski 4.0ip 6h 6r 3bb 4k
