By Stephen Smoot
Pendleton County baseball fears no team and takes on schools that range in size from Tygarts Valley’s 420 from sixth through 12th grade to Musselman and its more than 1,700 students between their freshman and senior years.
The goal is to learn through adversity and build both skills and resilience in preparation for the postseason fight to see which teams will represent the region in Charleston this May.
Pendleton County 11 Bath County 6
Late last month, Pendleton County traveled to Bath County, Virginia, playing their second Old Dominion based school in a row after their triumph against Highland County, Virginia.
The Wildcats jumped in front first. Caleb Armentrout drew a walk to start off the game, but was called out at second when Travis Owens grounded into a fielder’s choice. Chase Owens, however, drove a double into right field to send the baserunner home and stake out the initial lead. Cole Harper’s single put runners on first and third for Will Smith.
Smith hit a fly ball to right for the second out of the inning, which allowed Chase Owens to tag from third and score. A precise throw to third, however, caught Harper as he attempted to tag up and advance.
Bath responded in the bottom of the inning as their leadoff batter drew a walk, then stole second. A line drive to center scored the home team’s first run of the game. Harper used his defense to sit the next two batters down, but a single and a walk loaded the bases. The pitcher then went after the Bath batter, getting him to swing on a two ball and two strike out to quash the threat.
In the top of the second, the Bath pitcher set down the side in order. With two on and two outs, however, Bath drove in two runs on a single to right. They picked up a fourth run in the bottom of the third.
Pendleton County hit back in the top of the fourth. Chase Owens earned a walk on four straight pitches to lead off the inning. Harper drove a hit through the middle of the infield to score the baserunner and cut the home squad’s advantage to one. Two errors helped to load the bases with two outs, but Bath’s pitcher struck the Wildcats out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Bath tried to hold off Pendleton County’s push to gain the lead. They gained two runs with one out to set the lead at 6-3. Travis Owens then induced a ground out and a strike out to close the fourth.
Bath County opened the top of the fifth with three gifts in the form of errors to load the bases with Wildcats. Harper then hit a ground ball to the right side, resulting in one out on a fielder’s choice, but sending in Armentrout and Travis Owens, closing within a single run of the lead once again.
Chase Owens took the mound for Pendleton County in the bottom of the fifth and struck out the side in order on only 13 pitches.
After that, the deluge.
Cooper Smith singled to open the top of the sixth inning. Two batters later, with one out, Josiah Kimble dropped a short bunt in front of the catcher and used his speed to leg out the play and send Cooper Smith to scoring position.
Shortly after, with two outs and the bases loaded, Chase Owens drove an infield single to short. Cooper Smith scored and nailed down the tie score that had eluded Pendleton County since the opening innings. Harper then knocked in three runs on a two ball, two strike count with two outs.
Two walks reloaded the bases, but a relief pitcher scored a strikeout to end the run.
Two more runs in the top of the seventh put away the game for Pendleton County.
Musselman 7 Pendleton County 1
In the next game, the Wildcats took a 7-1 loss against quad A Musselman. The Applemen had convincing wins over Hampshire and Berkeley Springs in their opening weeks and defeated the Wildcats in Berkeley County.
Pendleton County 16 Tucker County 7
The Mountain Lions traveled to Franklin and experienced the explosiveness of Pendleton County’s hitting.
All year long Caleb Armentrout has played the first inning waiter, setting the table for subsequent batters. In this game, he opened the first with a single to left, followed by a Travis Owens walk. The first run came through on a Chase Owens sacrifice.
Harper singled with one out, putting runners at the corners for Cashton Kisamore, who also hit a sacrifice to score a run, but this time to left field.
In the subsequent inning, the Wildcats benefited once again by putting the lead off runner on, this time via a walk pitched to Spencer Hartman. Mountain Lion pitching walked the second batter, Kimble. This set up Travis Owens with one out as he singled to left to score both Hartman and Kimble.
Singles by Harper and Cooper Smith pushed the lead to 7-0 as the Wildcats cruised through the end of the second.
That cruise hit turbulence in the top of the third as Tucker County battled almost all the way back. They picked up six runs in the top of the third to nearly draw even. Kisamore then stepped in to pitch and shut down the side.
The Mountain Lions followed that by setting down Wildcat batters in order in the bottom of the inning, but would enjoy no such results in the fourth.
Kisamore allowed two singles, but no runs in the Mountain Lion half of the inning and Travis Owens commenced the bottom of the fourth with a single. Chase Owens singled to right and scored the baserunner. The next batter, Harper, hit a ground ball sacrifice that enabled Chase Owens to cross home plate and pick up the ninth Wildcat run of the contest.
Later in the inning, with two outs and Kisamore on third, a Will Smith single set the score at 10-6.
The final score came when Broty Sites drove a ball to right field on a sacrifice to score Travis Owens.
East Hardy 15 Pendleton County 1
On the very next night, Pendleton County hosted East Hardy. On some nights, a pitcher has everything going their way and momentum can carry them to a special performance. That performance, unfortunately, came from Shayne Sisler of the Cougars who struck out 16 in a two hitter performance. Sisler showed significant command of location and speed throughout the windy, cold, and, sometimes, drizzly contest.
This was Sisler’s second performance for the state Class A semifinalists after defending state champion Frankfort rocked him in their initial game of their season.
Elkins 9 Pendleton County 7
The Elkins Tigers looked as grrrreat as Tony the Tiger in their first game of the season, beating Notre Dame 11-0. Since then, Elkins has lost several to class AA and AAA competition until hosting the Wildcats last weekend.
The battle of predatory felines opened with Elkins scoring the first run in the bottom of the first, then building a 6-1 lead through the end of the fourth inning. The sole run to that point came on a Sites single to center, which drove in Kisamore.
In the top of the fifth, Kimble dropped a bunt for a single, but was caught stealing second during an at bat that also resulted in a line drive out.
With two outs and no one on, Travis Owens singled to left. Chase Owens followed by earning a walk. The next hitter, Harper, also drew a base on balls, loading the diamond.
Kisamore, the next up at the plate, worked a three balls and one strike count with the bases loaded. All baserunners took off on the third strike, enabling Travis Owens to reach home plate and add the second run of the game for the Wildcats. Cooper Smith followed with an RBI single, driving in Chase Owens.
A Will Smith walk with the bases loaded brought Pendleton County closer and the inning ended with a 6-4 disadvantage.
Elkins scored three in the bottom of the fifth and weathered a Wildcat threat in the fifth.
With one last opportunity in the top of the seventh, Pendleton County put their bats to work again. Colby Simmons drew a one out walk, followed by Noah Lockard drawing a walk when a one ball and two strike pitch hit him.
Armentrout, with two on and one out left to mount a comeback, singled and scored Simmons. After a Travis Owens infield single to the pitcher loaded the bases, Chase Owens tapped a two ball and two strike pitch back to the mound, scoring Lockard. Tucker Smith, exercising patience, walked on five pitches to close the score at 9-7.
The Wildcats got the tying run on second, but Elkins managed to record the final out and close the game.
Next up for the Wildcats was a Wednesday road trip to Baker to face East Hardy, then a Saturday home stand against Pocahontas County.