By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
The Cougars mantra of ‘win the inning’ paid dividends in punching a return ticket to Charleston.
East Hardy survived a back-and-forth battle with the Bulldogs in the Class A Region II Championship series second game in Baker as Mason Hamilton hammered a walk-off two-run home run giving the Cougars an 8-6 win for back-to-back Class A Region II titles with the sweep and a return ticket to the state tournament in Charleston.
“Super exciting. My approach was not to hit a home run. Evan was on second and my job was to get the guy over and I did. I knew if I could get him over, then Garrett would get him in. I am glad our dugout stayed up. We just hit well as a team and played well as a team, We put runs on the board when we needed them,” East Hardy’s Mason Hamilton noted.
The Cougars trio of pitchers combined for ten strikeouts in the win over Tygarts Valley: Garrett Van Meter 3K, Mason Hamilton 1K and Evan Hamilton 6K.
“We were in it the whole time.I told the guys ‘win the inning’ and I think they won every inning besides one. I knew we would be in the game. I thought Evan and Mason did a really good job coming in relief, especially Evan there in the top of the seventh. He shut down their top three in the batting order. I knew with our lineup coming up we were going to have a great inning,” East Hardy skipper Tyler Mongold commented.
“I knew what Mason was doing with his mindset in the box and that was moving Evan over and have Garrett drive them in. I was proud of him, because he hadn’t swung the bat very well all game. I knew he was due for a good hit, but didn’t think it would be that far. It is unimaginable. People wrote us off after we got down 5-13. They wrote us off, but I was tallying Calvin when we get healthy we will be playing our best ball at the end of the year and that’s true enough. Here we are. It means a lot to this community and our program. Back-to-back state trips, I don’t think that has happened before at least not even back when I was playing. Alex Foltz and his team might have, but I can’t remember. It has been 20 years. Our goal is to get down here and play our best ball and see what happens. We come as a team ready to hit, but having Mason back has been a big help. Getting everybody back healthy was the main thing to our success.”
Everybody counted us out earlier in the year. We just told the boys to win the inning and they kept battling to bring us here.
Tygarts Valley started the Class A Region II Championship series second game loading the bases on three consecutive walks received from Van Meter to Jaxon Drennen, Kendall Armstrong and Kaden Moore.
Van Meter settled down with a strikeout to Noah McAtee, then jammed Wamsley for a pop-up to Evan Hamilton.
Tygarts Valley took a 2-nil lead as Austin Gear connected for a two-run producing single.
Moore was caught in a rundown out at third base with Teets making the tag.
Wamsley pitched his first of four strikeouts to East Hardy leadoff batter Evan Hamilton.
The Cougars got on base with a single into center field by Mason Hamilton, followed by a double hammered by Van Meter.
East Hardy’s Levi Price ripped a game-tying, two-run producing single with the throw home not in time.
Shayne Sisler was hit by a pitch putting two runners on the base path again for the Cougars.
East Hardy took a 3-2 lead as Teets notched an RBI sacrifice fly, then Mason Wilkins grounded out ending the frame.
Tygarts Valley’s Ian Harris received a walk, then stole second base and advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt from Avery Row-Sponaugle.
Austin Wilson garnered an RBI sacrifice fly to tie the game for the Bulldogs, then Van Meter finished off the side with a strikeout to Drennen.
Wamsley struck out Dayton Dove, then Patrick Mills was hit by a pitch creating a base runner for the Cougars.
East Hardy’s Evan Hamilton smashed an RBI triple for a 4-3 edge.
After a groundout by Mason Hamilton, the Cougars took a 5-3 lead as Evan Hamilton scored on a passed ball prior to a strikeout to Van Meter.
Van Meter began the third inning tossing a strikeout to Armstrong.
Moore slammed a double into left field for the Bulldogs, then Teter received a free pass.
Wamsley delivered a two-RBI single into left field as Tygarts Valley tied the game at 5-all.
Gear singled on a wicked hop into center field for the Bulldogs, then Wamsley was caught stealing home plate during a rundown as Dove made the swipe at the plate.
Wamsley and the Tygarts Valley dugout were shocked by the call, but the umpire had a clear, unobstructed view of the plate.
The Bulldogs popped out to end the side, then the Cougars went down in order on two flyouts and a groundout diving save at shortstop.
East Hardy’s Mason Hamilton came in to pitch in the fourth inning and allowed one runner aboard on an error sandwiched by two flyouts and a strikeout.
The Cougars failed to get on base again with a laser by Wilkins caught at shortstop, thenDove flew out and Mills struck out.
Hamilton induced two groundouts, then Wamsley smoked a solo home run to give the Bulldogs a 6-5 lead.
Gear singled before being caught in a rundown.
Evan Hamilton launched the ball to the hill in left field where the fielder fell down creating a double.
Evan Hamilton dashed to third base on a flyout by brother Mason to put the tying run closer.
Van Meter connected for an RBI groundout as the Cougars knotted the championship at six runs apiece.
Price singled and was stranded on a flyout by Sisler.
East Hardy sent in Evan Hamilton to the mound and there was ice in the veins notching six strikeouts in a row to close out the game.
The Cougars mustered one walk in the sixth inning, then the heroics would come in the bottom of the seventh inning.
East Hardy’s Evan Hamilton singled, then Mason Hamilton blasted the game wining walk-off two-run home run to send the Cougars back to the state tournament with an 8-6 victory in the second game of the Region II championship series.
East Hardy improved to 12-15 with a trip to the state tournament, while Tygarts Valley finished the season with a record of 18-9.
East Hardy will be the third seed in the WVSSAC Class A state baseball tournament at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston and faces off against No. 2 Gilmer County on Thursday around noon.
The Class A state tournament begins with No. 1 Madonna playing No. 4 Webster County on Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m.
