By Stephen Smoot
The march to South Charleston seemed almost painfully slow as Pendleton County rolled through the end of the season and into sectionals.
First, the Wildcats dispatched Tygarts Valley in two games to take a sectional title. After a week of waiting, they hosted the Mountain Lions coming out of the highlands. Tucker County faced almost insurmountable odds as it sought to get past the top team in West Virginia Class A to enjoy a trip to the state tournament in South Charleston.
They brought their game faces and refused to lay down before the juggernaut in light blue.
Tucker County cracked the scoreboard first. They drew a walk on the leadoff batter, then two batters later got the benefit of an error to get two on base. With one out and baserunners at second and third, a Mountain Lion hitter grounded out, but sacrificed to pick up a run batted in.
Baylee Beachler finished the first inning by inducing a strikeout.
The Wildcats also got their leadoff hitter in the game on base when the second pitch of the half inning hit Avery Townsend. Beachler followed Townsend and earned a walk on five pitches.
Along the way, Townsend stole both second and third base.
Jenna Smith had returned after an injury at the Bub Riggleman Tournament sidelined her for a time. The Potomac State commit came up third in the order in this game and belted a shot on a line drive to right field, bringing the speedy pair of baserunners home.
Not only did Pendleton County take the lead, they would never get behind again the rest of the day.
In the top of the second, Susan Vincell stepped in to relieve Beachler on the mound. In high school softball, a team can take pitchers out and bring them back so long as they play a defensive position on the field when not pitching. They can do this up to seven times per game, so Beachler’s cannon arm remained available if needed.
Vincell, however, brought her inner Greg Maddux to this game. She struck out two in the second and got the second hitter to ground out to short.
Tucker County would not lay down, however. Their hurler set down the Wildcats in order in the bottom half of the inning.
For a time, the pitchers dueled. Vincell pitched a masterful game, hitting the high outside corner time and time again with brilliant effectiveness. When Tucker County hitters adjusted, she would toss a nasty breaking pitch that would dive through the middle of the plate. During the remainder of the game, she allowed two hits and walked two, but struck out nine.
Townsend led off the bottom of the third and got the same treatment as in the bottom of the first, taking a fastball square in the back. Also as in the first, she took every opportunity to steal on a catcher whose response time could not keep up with the swift baserunner – as Townsend has done all year.
As Beachler battled the pitcher, the baserunner took second base on one pitch, then third on another. Beachler put the ball in play, but at a fielder. The sacrifice brought Townsend home for their third run of the game.
Pitching dominated from this point through the bottom of the fourth. Julia Mongold led off with a base hit with Townsend following.
On the first pitch, Townsend drove a hard hit ground ball into right field. As the right fielder moved up to field the ball, it hit a divet or other small obstacle.
The velocity of the ball was such that it flew 10 feet in the air, arced over the fielder, and rolled to the wall. By the time the nimble and hustling fielder returned the ball to the infield, Townsend was a step from home plate and scoring the fifth run for her team.
Beachler followed with a walk. During Smith’s subsequent at bat, Beachler took three steps off of first and baited the catcher to throw the ball to first, which she did. Beachler swiped second on the play, then went to third on a single that Smith stretched to two bases during the throw in from center field.
A new pitcher came on to face Lizzie Alt, who put the ball in play and reached on an error by the first baseman. Both Smith and Beachler crossed home on the play and extended the advantage to 7-1 for the home team. Alt made her way to second on a passed ball, then third on a ground out, then home on, once again, a passed ball at the plate.
Vincell came into the top of the sixth with a comfortable lead. The leadoff hitter popped a little line drive that dove toward the ground near second base, but Townsend dove to the dirt fully extended as the ball dropped safely into her glove.
Tucker County got the next two batters on base, then Vincell and her defense locked it down. The next batter lined out to right field and the final out of the top of the inning struck out looking.
The Wildcats returned in the bottom of the sixth. Although Tucker County got the first two hitters out, Townsend reached base on a single. She then stole second and a passed ball put the game ending run at third.
Beachler powered the ball into center for a double, scoring Townsend and reaching the mercy limit, ending the game 9-1.
Sufficiently warmed up by the first game, the Wildcats continued the onslaught 15 minutes later. Beachler pitched a full game, allowing a single hit, a single walk, and setting down 13 by strikeout. She also picked up the first run batted in by driving Townsend home with a double to right field. Beachler then scored as she took home plate on a passed ball, putting the lead at 2-0.
On that passed ball, Smith drew a walk. She reached second and third on bad pitches, then scored on a passed ball to set the lead at 3-0. The fourth and final run of the inning came when Alt swiped home during Chesnee Colaw’s at bat.
In the bottom of the second, Molly Rowe reached on an error, followed by Townsend. Townsend’s double to center sent Rowe home. Beachler’s sacrifice enabled Townsend to score next.
With the bases cleared, Smith stepped to the plate. She launched a line drive missile to left field that extended into an inside the park home run.
The Wildcats continued to pound Mountain Lion pitching in the bottom of the third. Vincell hit a double to center field to lead off. Next came Bella Lockard, who battled through three foul balls to get down in the count, but hit a single to left that scored Vincell.
Two batters later with Mongold on second, Rowe once again came in clutch. She laid down a bunt toward the pitcher’s mound and reached safely while Mongold wheeled around third and scored for a 9-0 lead. A Townsend double on the first pitch to her sent Rowe home as well.
Townsend brought in the 11th run on an error by the catcher.
Beachler made quick work of Tucker County in the top of the fourth, getting each batter to strike out swinging.
Rowe, who came up big throughout the second game, came to the plate with two outs and Lockard on second. She drilled a shot to right field and ran it all the way in for a two run inside the park homer for a 13-0 lead.
Beachler sealed the game and punched the team’s ticket to the state tournament with a one two three top of the fifth.
Pendleton County had more than a week to rest and recuperate before playing Trinity Wednesday in the first game of the Class A tournament at South Charleston’s Little Creek Park. The Class A tournament will wrap up today.
