By Stephen Smoot
Last year, the Viking baseball ship fearlessly plowed the waters of regional rivals in the Potomac Highlands, pillaging and plundering their way to a solid season.
This spring, the Wildcats have roared early on.
Last weekend, Petersburg hosted the Legends tournament that also always includes Pendleton County and Keyser. The Wildcats took on Petersburg in the opening game of the day under overcast skies and braving temperatures in the upper 30s, accompanied by winds that made it seem much colder.
During the tournament, longtime Franklin and Pendleton County High School baseball coach Rick Wagoner was honored as one of the legends. He coached for 28 years, the first five at Franklin. The venerable coach played a role in approximately 500 wins, including regional and a state title. Wagoner also coached Babe Ruth baseball for 17 years.
Pendleton County head coach Sam Yokum was quoted during the ceremony calling Wagoner “a true legend” who “goes above and beyond.” Yokum praised him as a “coach who is totally committed to Pendleton County baseball.”
Pendleton County bats remained hot despite the chilly day. Allden Rexrode led off the game with a one ball and two strike pitch hammered past the centerfielder to the wall. He walked into second easily.
Viking pitchers stuck to a game plan of putting pitches over for strikes early in the count. Patient Pendleton County hitters in the first innings fell behind early in counts and often hit their way out of trouble.
Rexrode went to third on a balk. With one out and Rexrode in scoring position, James Vincell drew a walk. Two batters later, Dillon Smith came to the plate. Though he struck out, a passed ball allowed Rexrode to score the first run of the game for the Wildcats.
Chase Owens started the game for Pendleton County and got the first hitter to fly out in foul ground. The next Viking hitter hustled his way to first, bunting for a base hit. He then stole second during the next at bat. A ground ball to first scored the run for the home team to tie the game.
The Wildcats quickly struck again in the top of the second. Caleb Armentrout drew a one out walk on four pitches. Dusty Smith in the next at bat bunted back to the pitcher, who could not get his footing and allowed both runners to reach safely. Josiah Kimble then drove a two strike pitch into deep left center, scoring a run and helping his team regain the lead for good.
That brought the top of the order back around. Rexrode grounded to short, but his sacrifice added a third run. Owens followed by earning a walk with two outs in five pitches to put runners at the corners for Vincell. Vincell knocked a two out single to centerfield, scoring another run.
Still in the second, still with two outs, Cashton Kisamore came to the plate. Jonas Turner came in to run for Vincell and Petersburg brought in a new pitcher. Turner promptly stole second. Behind in the count, Kisamore hit the ball to short, scoring a run. A throwing error allowed him to reach second.
Dillon Smith followed with Kisamore in scoring position. He hit the ball sharply to third, but the Viking player there made a diving stop that even Wildcat coaches praised. His throwing error, however, brought in another run for Pendleton County.
When the smoke cleared, the Wildcats had taken a commanding 7-1 lead.
Petersburg opened the next inning with a single, followed by a well-executed sacrifice bunt. Owens forced the Vikings to strand the runner at scoring position by striking out the next two batters on a total of nine pitches.
Scoring settled down until the top of the fourth. Rexrode drew a leadoff walk and stole second during Owens’ subsequent at bat. Owens’ sacrifice moved Rexrode to third, where he was knocked in by Vincell on a sacrifice run batted in.
Pendleton County kept piling on runs. In the top of the fifth, Dillon Smith hit a stand up double on a one ball and two strike pitch and then advanced to third on a passed ball during the at bat of Will Smith. Will Smith’s sacrifice sent Dillon Smith home.
Dillon Smith in the next inning batted Owens in on a sacrifice.
In the bottom of the sixth, Pendleton County lifted Owens in favor of Cole Harper. Petersburg scored one run on a one out single in the sixth and picked up three more in the bottom of the seventh for a final of 10-5.
