BY GREG CAREY
WVMetroNews.com
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Wheeling Park held a deep and talented Morgantown lineup in check for most of Friday’s Class AAA showdown at Mylan Park.
With one swing of the bat, however, Mohigans’ third baseman Devon Neal changed that.
Neal’s three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning allowed No. 5 Morgantown to create separation, and the Mohigans went on to an 8-1 victory over the No. 8 Patriots.
“I actually told him in the dugout before that, ‘you need to pull the next one out,’” Morgantown coach Mark McCarty said. “He’s been letting it get too deep in the box and hitting everything to left field for two days. Obviously he got in front of that one.”
Neal’s round-tripper came off Billy Gooch in the first batter the Wheeling Park (7-4) reliever faced. It increased the Mohigans’ lead to 5-1, scoring Quintin Smith, who led off the inning with a single, and courtesy runner Zach Brennan. Brennan was running for pitcher Carter Patrick, who doubled after Smith’s single.
That double spelled the end of the day for Patriots’ starting pitcher Triston Curry and put added pressure on the Patriots, who never threatened to rally.
“It was a pretty tight game until the fifth,” Wheeling Park coach Steve Myers said. “We had some opportunities we didn’t take advantage of, and when they had their chances they capitalized.”
Morgantown (10-2) added to its lead with three runs in the sixth. Smith’s bunt single brought home Ethan Smith, who had led off with a double. A Wheeling Park throwing error then allowed Smith and Charlie Petty to score what proved to be the game’s final runs.
