NEWS
JAY W. BENNETT
Parkersburg News and Sentinel | 5/2/2019
Parkersburg News and Sentinel | 5/2/2019
YOHO, BRYANT LEAD SOUTH UPSET OF MORGANTOWN
PARKERSBURG — Nick Yoho and Dustin Corley had two RBIs apiece while Colin Bryant and Chase Dunbar took care of things on the mound during Parkersburg South’s 8-2 upset of Morgantown here Tuesday evening at Hank Greenburg Field.
Losing pitcher Carter Patrick, who worked 4 1/3 innings while allowing six hits with a walk and two strikeouts, was victimized by his defense. The Mohigans, now 22-5 and losers of three straight, made five errors as Patrick allowed seven runs, but just one earned.
Bryant made it through the fifth on 93 pitches to earn the victory as the Patriots (15-10) avenged a 5-3 loss from March 29 in Morgantown. Bryant allowed four hits and two earned runs. Although he hit a batter and walked five, he also fanned a pair and only of the six runners he put on base via a free pass or the plunk crossed. Dunbar fired two hitless frames with a trio of punchouts and got Mohigan Gavin Cottle to popup in foul ground to first baseman Grant Hussey to end it.
“They are one of the best teams in the state and our kids played a good game tonight,” said PSHS skipper Todd Burner, who watched Yoho, Blake McMullen and Jared Clemente record two hits apiece. “Colin and then Dunbar came in right after him and picked up where Colin left off.
“Colin didn’t have his best stuff, but pitched good enough to get us through five innings against a very good hitting team. Our boys put the ball in play and made things happen.”
As it turned out, a pair of four-run frames — the first and the fifth — proved to be the difference.
Parkersburg South, which plays host to Spring Valley at 6:30 p.m. today for senior night, got four runs on two hits and a trio of MHS errors in the first.
Yoho’s infield single started it and McMullen, who swiped three bags, then reached after a sacrifice via the first Mohigan error. Hussey was then credited with an RBI on what should’ve been a groundout, but turned into another error.
Clemente then delivered a fielder’s choice RBI, but another throwing error proved costly. Hussey eventually scored on a wild pitch and Clemente later crossed for the 4-0 cushion after Corley had an RBI bloop single past a drawn-in infield.
MHS, which returns to action at 5 p.m. today at Brooke, pushed a run across in the third, but it could’ve been more. After Quintin Smith walked, Patrick singled and then Caleb Taylor drew a base on balls to load them up with nobody out. However, Bryant got Devon Neal to hit into a 4-6-3 double play that was started by Brayden Cline, who made a nice snag and pivot throw to McMullen and he fired across to Hussey. Bryant ended the frame when he got Colton Matthews to fly out.
Following a 31-pitch first, Patrick needed just 34 pitches to reach the fifth.
The visitors cut the deficit to 4-2 after getting their final tally in the fifth. Patrick nearly hit a bomb down the right-field line, but had to settle for a stand-up three-bagger. He scored on Taylor’s RBI single to left.
Parkersburg South’s bottom of the fifth was almost like the first, except the Mohigans made two errors instead of three.
Clemente’s one-out single got things started. Dunbar, who was lifted for pinch-runner Nic Menarchek, reached on an error as too did Corley, which proved to be the final batter for Patrick. Relief pitcher Charlie Petty promptly walked Nathan Currey on four pitches, but he got the second out when Bryant went down on strikes. However, Yoho followed with a two-run single to put the hosts in control.
Of note, PSHS finished just 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position, but Morgantown went just 1 for 9 and left 11 runners stranded — six in scoring position.
Jay W. Bennett
Parkersburg News and Sentinel | 5/2/2019
Parkersburg News and Sentinel | 5/2/2019
