By Stephen Smoot
Moorefield has spent the 2024 season looking to establish consistency from one game to the next. Their squad boasts of offensive explosions over Notre Dame, whom they beat 24-2, and Berkeley Springs, who fell to the Yellow Jackets by 14 runs.
The Yellow Jackets also fell to Strasburg 10-0 and lost to cross-county rival East Hardy 9-3.
Pendleton County cruised through the early weeks of the season and has had to step up lately as they have faced improved competition. Moorefield always provides the Wildcats with a good indicator of where they stand in any given sport and in any given season.
The Wildcats faced them before traveling to the Interstate 79 corridor to face powerhouse competition in the McDonald’s Invitational.
Pendleton County went to bat in the top of the first. Allden Rexrode earned a leadoff walk and James Vincell legged out an error, but Moorefield shut down the threat. Chase Owens took the mound for the Wildcats and set down the Yellow Jackets in order to complete a scoreless first inning.
The top of the second saw the first Wildcat score. Caleb Armentrout drew a one out walk, followed by a well-executed Dillon Smith sacrifice bunt to move the initial runner into scoring position. Josiah Kimble then drew a free pass.
With Kimble on first and Armentrout on second, a wild pitch put the lead runner on third. This set up Rexrode, who put the ball in play to third. An error let him reach first safely while Armentrout scored the Wildcats’ first run.
Yellow Jacket batters tried to answer in the bottom of the second. With one out, they hit a line drive single to center. The next batter accomplished the exact same play, putting runners on first and second. Owens then walked the next hitter on four pitches to load the bases, but struck out the final two batters to end the threat.
In the bottom of the third, however, Moorefield knotted the game at one run a piece. With two outs and runners at the corners, the Yellow Jacket lead runner scored on a fielder’s choice to ensure the score.
Pendleton County opened the game up in the top of the fourth. With two outs and Kimble on first, courtesy of a single hit to left field, Owens hit him to third on an error. Vincell came to the plate and hit the ball past third, helping Kimble to score and putting Owens on third.
The Wildcat run continued with Cashton Kisamore taking his base after being hit by a pitch. This allowed Smith to come to the plate with bases loaded. He took advantage, driving the ball to left field, scoring Vincell and Owens and leaving runners at second and third. Next, Cole Harper came up and drew a walk. A wild pitch during his at bat secured the fifth run by giving Kisamore an opportunity to sprint home.
In the bottom of the fourth, Owens kept the door shut on the Yellow Jackets, setting them down in order. Pendleton County remained mostly quiet in the top of the fifth.
The bottom of the fifth saw Moorefield cut into the Wildcat lead. With two outs and a runner on third, a Yellow Jacket batter tripled to center to set the score at 5-3. Pendleton County answered in the next half inning. Owens led off with a triple to right, followed by a Vincell walk. Later in the inning, Smith reached on an error as Owens crossed the plate.
Yellow Jacket hitters had no answer for Owens in the bottom of the sixth. He used his defense effectively to keep Moorefield off the base paths. Then in the top of the seventh, Pendleton County loaded the bases with one out for Vincell. He drew a walk to bring home a run.
A subsequent walk issued to Kisamore scored the final run and set the game score at 8-3. Owens then had his last one-two-three inning to end the contest.
Owens scattered three hits and two walks through his seventh inning complete game, also striking out eight. He helped his own cause by going two for four with a triple and also drawing a walk.
Vincell, Kisamore, Smith, and Kimble each collected one hit, but patience at the plate was the order of the day for Pendleton County. Rexrode earned three walks, Vincell two, and Owens, Kisamore, Harper, Armentrout, and Kimble each received one.
