By Stephen Smoot
All season long the two squads had warily peered at each other from almost exactly geographically opposing points in the state.
From the tops of the wilderness covered ridges flanking Pendleton County Middle/High School, one can look directly east and see the Commonwealth of Virginia. From the front door of Wahama High School, the mighty river and great state sharing the name of the Ohio figure prominently in the view.
Both teams racked up victories as the season progressed and stamped their mark on Class A softball.
Wahama opened its campaign with wins over a struggling Class AA Ravenswood and a respectable Class AAA Sissonville squad. Along the way, they picked up wins against AAA tournament qualifier Herbert Hoover and also Class AAAA qualifier Saint Albans.
They also defeated Class AAAA Huntington and Class AAA Ripley during their regular season, but, interestingly, did not schedule Point Pleasant, though both schools are in Mason County.
Pendleton County played more higher division schools and defeated all except Frankfort, while splitting the season series with Petersburg.
Wahama brought experience and ability to the tournament with them, starting with pitcher Elissa Hoffman. She recorded 21 wins and seven losses on the year, along with a solid 3.06 earned run average. Two other pitchers earned three wins a piece.
Pendleton County countered the White Falcon ace with two of their own. Baylee Beachler won 17 games over the year, but only lost one – the first game of the season versus Frankfort. Beachler also posted an ERA of 1.26. Susan Vincell had a six-win record unblemished with losses and also a 3.13 ERA.
Although not needed in South Charleston, the Wildcats saw a crucial pitching performance from Lizzie Alt in the Bub Riggleman Tournament championship and also solid mound work from Bella Lockard, Jaiden Mitts, and Molly Rowe over the season.
White Falcon hitters plagued opponents’ pitching all year with five players hitting at an eye-popping .393 or better. Fiona Van Matre led the squad with five of the team’s 21 home runs.
While the Oakland A’s of the early 90s boasted the “Bash Brothers” of Mark McGuire and Tony Canseco, the Wildcats’ two “Smash Sisters” almost matched Wahama’s entire home run output. Beachler and Avery Townsend both banged out 10 home runs. The former player hit .547 and the latter .559 to pace the team.
Other top hitters included Jenna Smith with a .443 average, Vincell with a .437, and Alt and Chesnee Colaw batting at a .352 clip.
Wahama opened the game in the top of the first, the Wildcats’ better record earning them the advantage of home team status throughout. Beachler worked economically, dispatching the hitters in order on just nine pitches.
Townsend faced Hoffman first and drove the first pitch to short, legging out the play to get to first base.
During the next two at bats, Townsend stole second and third, then a passed ball allowed her to swipe home plate for the crucial first run of the game. Wahama came up next, but went right back down in order. Beachler only needed 11 pitches in that frame. Keeping the pitch count down for her served as another crucial factor in keeping her strong for the next day’s title game.
She also shut down the side with only eight pitches delivered in the third.
Through the bottom of the fifth, Beachler and Hoffman battled as aces do. In such a contest, each pitch has meaning. Both hurlers have talent, as do both team’s hitters. But which side will give first under the pressure of chasing a state title?
In the bottom of the fifth, Hoffman’s second pitch struck the leadoff hitter Colaw. Rowe advanced her with a sacrifice bunt, a tactic used relentlessly and to near perfection through all three games last week. Colaw made it to scoring position, but Townsend drove them both in with a line drive home run to center, setting the lead at 3-0.
Wahama sought to counter in the top of the sixth and got the leadoff runner on. Beachler, however, induced the next two batters to strike out, followed by a ground ball softly hit back to the pitcher and tossed to the first baseman Alt.
Hoffman led off the bottom of the sixth as she had the fifth, putting a Wildcat on base by hitting her with a pitch. Alt followed Smith and drove a double to right field, putting both runners in scoring position.
Two batters later, Vincell put the ball in play and got both Smith and Alt home for a 5-0 advantage.
With Lockard pinch running for Vincell, Colaw hit a hard line drive to left, bringing home Lockard for the final run of the game and a 6-0 lead.
The White Falcons tried to answer and got a double from the leadoff hitter. Beachler, however, got the next three retired. One came by strikeout and two by the defense that played impressively all week.
