By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
Moorefield Softball united together with Pendleton County during the Strike Out Cancer Night game pitching for hope at Sager Field as the teams battled back and forth with the Class A top ranked Wildcats outlasting the Class AA No. 10 Yellow Jackets in a nine inning marathon 7-6.
There was so much love and compassion poured out on the field honoring the memories of former Moorefield coaches and sisters Tammie Ayers and Julie Markwood with a special banner placed on the center field fence in their honor for their battles with cancer and all the players gave recognition to a loved one during a pregame ceremony.
All of the coaches and players for both teams donned Cancer Awareness shirts and had color specific socks recognizing the different types of cancer in the community.
“We came in as the underdogs and we took it nine innings and lost 7-6. We battled it out. They had nothing to be ashamed of, they battled their hearts out. I thought maybe they would give up in the end, but they kept fighting. Tammie [Ayers] and Julie [Markwood] meant so much to Moorefield Softball and our Little League programs. It was heartbreaking to lose them to cancer. We wanted to honor them and all of our loved ones dealing with any form of cancer. We will cherish each one of them and I am happy to hang this banner in their memory at Sager Field,” Moorefield coach Bridget Sions commented.
Moorefield starting pitcher Annie Barr kept top ranked Pendleton County in check throwing 10 strikeouts going into the seventh inning.
Barr started the game throwing a strikeout to Pendleton County leadoff batter Avery Townsend, then issued a walk to Baylee Beachler.
Beachler was caught stealing by Yellow Jackets catcher Grace Simmons connecting with Kerigan Bergdall.
The Wildcats went down in order as Janna Smith struck out.
Pendleton County starting pitcher Susan Vincell, who would pitch 4.1 innings and threw two strikeouts, started by inducing a groundout from Moorefield leadoff batter CiCi Kump.
Simmons followed with a hard shot ricocheting off the third baseman for a single.
Simmons stole second base and advanced to third base on a groundout by Emmy Crites before being stranded on a groundout by Seanna Heavner.
Lizzie Alt smashed a double with the help of an error by Moorefield right fielder Hannah Snyder as the Wildcats has a runner aboard in the second inning.
The Yellow Jackets countered as Barr garnered two consecutive strikeouts to Jessica Parker and Vincell before inducing a groundout by Chesnee Colaw by first baseman Raleigh Kuykendall.
Vincell pitched a strikeout to Moorefield’s Carlee Haines to start the bottom half of the frame.
Moorefield responded with a double crushed by Kuykendall, but couldn’t create a score as Barr popped out and Liddy Keplinger struck out.
Pendleton County commenced the third inning with a walk received by Molly Rowe, who advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Julia Mongold.
Townsend grounded out to send Rowe to third base, but the Yellow Jackets prevented a run as Barr collected a strikeout on Beachler.
Bergdall popped out for the Yellow Jackets and Kump grounded out for the first two Moorefield outs.
Simmons sliced a single down the thrid base line and stole second base before being left on the pond with a groundout from Crites as the game remained scoreless through three innings.
Heavner fielded a grounder by Smith for the first out of the fourth inning.
Pendleton County responded as Alt delivered a towering double to the left field fence.
Parker grounded out and the Yellow Jackets nearly recorded a double play on a rundown as Simmons made a diving tag, but the ball was jarred loose allowing Alt to get back to third base.
Vincell smacked an RBI single as Kump just missed making a diving catch with the Wildcats grabbing the initial 1-nil lead.
Barr answered with a strikeout to Colaw.
After a groundout by Heavner, the Yellow Jackets tied the game on a solo home run by Haines in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Wildcats defense collected the next two outs as Kuykendall grounded out and Barr flew out to right field.
Barr threw a strikeout to Rowe to begin the fifth inning, then issued a walk to Mongold.
Pendleton County regained the lead as Townsend notched an RBI single and dashed to second base on the throw home.
Kuykendall caught a pop-up by Beachler, then Barr closed the side with a strikeout to Smith.
Keplinger launched the ball to right field, but it was tracked down for an out.
Bergdall singled as her grounder took a wicked hop underneath the legs of the third baseman.
After a stolen base, Kump plated Bergdall with the help of an error as the first baseman dropped the ball and the Yellow Jackets tied the game at 2-all.
Simmons reached base on an error, then Beachler came in to pitch and got out of the jam with a groundout and strikeout.
Barr collected a grounder by Alt and Heavner caught a pop=up by Parker for the first two Wildcat outs in the sixth inning.
Pendleton County countered as Vincell hammered a solo home run for a 3-2 edge, then Moorefield answered with a strikeout by Barr to retire the side.
The Yellow Jackets buzzed with a double smacked by Haines which ricocheted off the center fielder.
The Wildcats responded with two groundouts by Kuykendall and Barr with Haines advancing to third base on the latter.
Haines scored on a passed ball lifting Moorefield into a tie at 3-all.
Keplinger drew a walk, then Bergdall singled on an infield play with quick speed to first base.
However, the rulers were stranded on a groundout by Kump.
Barr began the seventh inning throwing a strikeout, then issued a full-count walk to Mongold and fielded a groundout by Townsend.
Pendleton County jumped ahead 5-3 as Beachler ripped an RBI double into left field and Smith recorded an RBI single.
Moorefield brought in Aryana Hinz to pitch and allowed an RBI double by Alt, who advanced to third base on the late throw home with the score now at 6-3.
Hinz settled down and threw a strikeout to Parker to prevent another score.
The Yellow Jackets rallied back with three runs in the bottom half of the frame starting with Simmons getting on base after being hit by a pitch and stole second base and was brought home as Crites made an RBI groundout.
Heavner grounded out on a brilliant save at third base.
Moorefield kept battling as Haines unleashed a double into right field and scored on an RBI single into center field by Kuykendall.
Barr crushed an RBI double into center field to tie the game for the Yellow Jackets, but was stranded on a groundout.
In the eighth inning, Pendleton County’s Vincell singled into left field off of Hinz.
Hinz responded by jamming Colaw into a pop-up caught by Kuykendall in foul territory, then Rowe made a sacrifice bunt fielded by Haines and the side was retired on a groundout by Mongold to Bergdall.
Beachler jammed Bergdall into a pop-up to Smith, then Kump grounded out to Townsend.
Simmons tapped a single into right field and was left on base on a groundout by Crites as the game moved into the ninth inning.
Townsend smashed a double into left field to commence the ninth inning for the Wildcats.
Beachler hit a shallow fly ball into right field and plated Townsend, while being caught in a rundown as a distraction to put Pendleton County ahead 7-6.
Hinz induced two consecutive groundouts to retire the side fielded by Hinz and Bergdall.
Heavner grounded out to Smith for the first Moorefield out.
Haines drew a walk from Beachler, but Kuykendall hit into a game-ending double play by Townsend as the Wildcats won 7-6.
After shaking hands, both teams gathered together for a big group picture honoring cancer survivors and to preserve the memory of lost loved ones.
“Moorefield is always a team that I don’t care if they find ten new players every game, they will give you a contest. That is a great group of kids with Moorefield. I have been with them having a daughter at the same age. They have always battled. The first game is sometimes easy, but the second time you play Moorefield is the hardest contest you will play all year. That is one of the game that we would go up and they would tie it. It was five innings in a row there that we would go up by one and they would tie it. Finally in the seventh, we went up by three and they came back and tied it with three. We went into the extra innings and didn’t get anything in the eighth inning, but got one in the ninth and were able to hold them for the win. That was the first game that has had so many back and forth innings. We took the lead and couldn’t keep it and they would’t get enough to take the lead. It was one of the best games of softball in a long time,” Pendleton County coach Eric Crites concluded.
