After runs to the doorstep of the state tournament, four area teams face elimination today in Region 3 finals throughout the area.
In baseball James Monroe will host Charleston Catholic in Game 2 of the Class A Region 3 championship while Oak Hill will host St. Albans in the Class AAA Region 3 championship. In Softball James Monroe will host Midland Trail while Wyoming East will host Independence.
East, Oak Hill and both James Monroe teams all lost Game 1 of their respective best-of-3 series and now each need a win to extend their seasons into Wednesday.
Starting on the softball side both James Monroe and Wyoming East face monumental tasks in defeating Trail and Independence.
James Monroe lost Monday’s game against the Patriots 9-2, scoring both of its runs in the first inning. For the Mavs that continues a worrying trend as the only other time the two teams played (a 12-2 Trail win on April 24) the Patriots won easily.
The saving grace for the Mavs? Most of Trail’s damage on Monday came with two outs. The second and fourth innings, when the Patriots scored seven of their nine runs, were fueled by two-out hits, walks and errors. A pitch here or there and a clean game in the field may have led to a less lopsided decision.
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Coming into Monday’s Class AA game, Wyoming East had to feel good about its plan – walk Kaylen Parks and make everyone else beat them. After all, Parks is responsible for Indy’s last two regular-season wins over East, with the deciding home runs in both. That plan worked just once.
Batting fifth in the lineup – two slots behind Parks – Destiny Blankenship twice cleared the bases with doubles, driving in six runs in an 8-0 win that lasted just five innings.
After the loss East head coach Doc Warner didn’t anticipate changing his strategy in relation to Parks, but if that’s the case the Lady Warriors will need to more carefully navigate the minefield behind her. If East can take solace in something it’s the fact that most of the damage on Monday was manageable.
During Blankenship’s first at-bat there was one out with the bases loaded, giving East a forceout situation in a scoreless game. In her second at-bat a dropped ball in the outfield with two outs led to her even getting the opportunity to help put the game away. East is young, but simply making the plays you’re supposed to can help the Warriors fill the gap that was apparent on Monday.
On the other side they still need to find an answer for Indy pitcher Delaney Buckland.
The sophomore hurler has yielded just three hits in 12 innings against East this season. East had some luck getting runners into scoring position in the second and third innings, but both occurrences came with two outs, leaving little room for small ball tactics.
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On the baseball side it looks bleaker for James Monroe.
Mavs ace Andrew Hazelwoood was ambushed in the fifth inning, yielding seven runs to invoke the mercy rule. The end result was an 11-1 win for the Irish. That follows suit with James Monroe’s previous two matchups with Catholic, 10-4 and 12-2 losses on April 23 and and May 21.
For Oak Hill this spot is nothing new.
In the sectional tournament the Red Devils won three straight elimination games. To add to that most of this group has regional experience, facing Shady Spring in 2019 when they were still in Class AA. Following Monday’s 5-2 loss to St. Albans, the series will shift to Epling Stadium in Beckley Tuesday night with a 7 p.m. start.
For the Red Devils to extend their season they’ll need to find more juice at the plate.
They scratched out just three hits with both of their runs coming on a two-run home run. On the mound Bradley Lokant allowed 11 hits but never let the Red Dragons pull too far ahead. The Red Devils will need another steady pitching performance with fewer runs allowed to for a Game 3.
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An area team not mentioned that’s in the driver’s seat? Greenbrier East.
The Lady Spartans pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, knocking off previously unbeaten St. Albans 5-4. The series will now shift to St. Albans with East sitting one win away from a state tournament berth. A sweep would be an incredible feat for the Spartans considering they were mercy ruled by St. Albans in their only other matchup this season.
Something to look out for is how St. Albans does in the field. The Red Dragons lost their third baseman to an injury in Game 1 and with a roster of just 12 players they’ll likely be forced to move several players out of position.
Greenbrier East’s Annabelle Honaker hit a two-run walkoff single that gave Greenbrier East a 5-4 win over previously undefeated St. Albans in Game 1 of the Class AAA Region 3 championship. Series shifts back to SA tomorrow. #wvprepsb
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) June 15, 2021
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After field conditions forced Independence to postpone its Class AA Region 3 championship against Bluefield on Monday, the Patriots and Beavers will finally battle it out today. The teams come in as the top two in Class AA with only one able to advance to the state tournament. Independence will seek its first state tournament berth since 2014 while Bluefield is seeking its first since 1974 when it was in Class AAA.
You can contact Tyler Jackson at tylerjackson@lootpress.com, 304-731-5542 and follow him on Twitter @tjackRH