By Stephen Smoot
Though the skies in Franklin last week were, for the most part, brilliant and blue with a few clouds, one day featured a tornado warning.
Keyser was coming to town.
The Class AAA visiting team has had an up and down season this year, earning wins against Berkeley Springs, Mountain Ridge, East Fairmont, and Preston, but also dropping losses to Hampshire, Grafton, and Frankfort.
Chase Owens opened the game for Pendleton County and used his defense in the first to clear the decks. After the first batter popped out to right, the next sent a little humpback line drive to the edge of the infield, where Cohen Hiett ranged to his left to snag the out. Owens recorded a strike out to close the half-inning.
Keyser set down the Wildcats in order in the bottom of the first, then picked up two runs in the top of the second. Pendleton County saw Mason Harper, then Cole Harper given free passes to get two on, but Golden Tornado pitching slammed the door on that opportunity.
A walk opened the top of the third for Keyser. In the next at bat, the visitors tried a bunt and run play. They could not get the bat on the ball and catcher Jaxon Simon gunned down the baserunner at second for the first out. The at-bat concluded when a full count pitch was lofted to left center field. Cooper Smith on the run ranged left and secured the second out. A fly ball to right field landed in Cashton Kisamore’s glove and ended the half-inning.
Keyser pitching continued to dominate early with no Wildcats getting on base in the third. Mason Miller entered the game to pitch in the top of the fourth. The lead off batter reached on an error, but Miller struck out the next batter looking. Keyser then picked up a single, but Miller allowed nothing else in that half-inning.
With head coach Sam Yokum on the hunt to expand his pitching rotation going into the season, Miller has helped considerably. In eight appearances, he has three wins and three losses. He has 30 strikeouts to 20 walks on the season in 22.2 innings pitched.
Wildcat bats turned on in the bottom of the fourth. Miller, leadoff batter, took one for the team, getting plunked in the middle of the back before being sent on to first. Mason Harper followed by slicing a nine iron type hit into left center field for a single. Landon Davis stepped in for Miller on the base path and advanced to second on the play.
Next, Cole Harper laid a bunt down the third base side. The ball rolled slowly toward the foul line, nicked a clump of grass, and died a few inches from foul territory. Indecision in defense allowed him to reach first safely. With the bases now loaded and the dangerous Kisamore at the plate, the Keyser catcher tried to catch the base runner napping at second. He instead caught the second baseman inattentive and the error allowed Davis to score the initial run for Pendleton County.
Kisamore popped out, but Keyser pitching hit Hiett and put him on base. Bases loaded once more, and with a single out, Smith grounded out, but got two runs batted in for his sacrifice, putting the Wildcats up 3-2.
Keyser swiped the lead back with two runs scored in the top of the fifth. With a slender 4-3 lead, they put two on in the bottom of the stanza, but allowed no runs. Miller gave Keyser the same treatment, allowing two hits, but no runs in the Golden Tornado sixth.
Not until the seventh did scoring resume. Keyser added two insurance runs in the top half to seize a 7-3 lead. Noah Lockard stood at the plate to lead off in the bottom of the seventh. He hit a screaming line drive with serious potential into centerfield, but the Keyser outfielder made a running and diving major league style play to rob him of a possible double.
Simon came up next. First pitch to him painted the inside corner, then he watched a pitch fly way outside. A fastball delivered over the plate was returned to the centerfield wall for a stand up double. Owens next drove a loud RBI single to deep center to set the score at 7-4, where it ended as Keyser struck out the final two batters.
Pendleton County lost narrowly to Berkeley Springs 13-12 on April 27.
So far this season, Simon is ninth in West Virginia Class A with two home runs. Travis Owens ranks 14 in runs scored with 26 and 11th in stolen bases with 20, and Cole Harper is ninth in on base percentage with .633.
Chase Owens has 45 strikeouts, good for 13th in Class A, and Kisamore is third in the Potomac Valley Conference with 20 RBIs. All numbers provided by Max Preps.
