Logan's Aiden Slack celebrates a first inning run scoring triple Thursday night at Ted Ellis Field. Slack had two hits and drove in two runs in the Wildcats 13-3 five inning over the Tigers in the Class AA Region 4 Section 2 tournament (File photo courtesy of Boothe Davis/Captured by the Moment Photography).
Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
CHAPMANVILLE Aiden Slack had two hits, drove in three runs and Ryan Roberts added two hits and two RBIs and the second seed Logan Wildcats scored 12 runs in the first three innings in a surprising 13-3 five-inning mercy rule win over top seed Chapmanville in the Class AA Region 4 Section 2 tournament at Ted Ellis Field on Thursday night.
The two-time reigning Class AA champion Wildcats showed why they are still one of the favorites to win their ninth state championship and third consecutive Class AA championship with their ninth straight win.
Since a 9-3 loss to Chapmanville on April 12, the Wildcats have won 12 of their last 13 games and will host the Class AA Region 4 Section 2 championship Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against the winner of Friday’s Chapmanville and Wayne elimination game.
Logan’s offense scored four runs in the first, erupted for seven runs in the second, one in the third and scored one in the fifth inning. Chapmanville scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the fifth inning but was unable to push across a fourth run that would have extended the game for another inning.
Jacob Topping, who beat Logan on April 12, entered the game with a 7-0 record and a 1.67 ERA in 10 games this season, allowed a season-high nine runs on five hits while walking five and striking out three in 1 2/3 innings. Topping suffered his first loss of the season in the shortest outing of the year for the senior lefthander.
Ten of the 15 batters that Topping faced reached base in the first two innings, and by the time Corey Johnson retired the Wildcats to end the second inning, 12 of 18 hitters reached base as the Wildcats plated 11 runs on eight hits through two innings.
Jake Ramey led off the game with a single and was replaced by courtesy runner McCormick Ilderton, who stole second, and came around to score on Ryan Roberts RBI single three batters later. Slack had a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch to put Logan ahead 4-0 after one inning.
Topping struck out Cole Blankenship and got Ramey to fly out to center field to start the second inning, but a two out to Maynard and a single to Garrett Williamson put runners at first and third for the Wildcats.
Williamson got himself caught in a run down between first and second base in an attempt to score Maynard from third, who got too far off the bag between third and home, prompting second basemen Eli Surgoine to fire to third basemen Braylon Moore in an attempt to cut down Maynard, who was sliding back into third base, however, Surgoine’s throw went out of play allowing Maynard to score and move Williamson to third.
Following a Roberts walk, Slack singled to plate Williamson with the sixth run for Logan. A walk to Miller loaded the bases for Konner Lowe, who delivered a two-run single scoring Roberts and Slack putting Logan ahead 8-0.
Jarron Glick followed with a run scoring double to make it 9-0 and Blankenship capped of the scoring with a two-run single to score courtesy runner Chase Hatfield and Glick giving Logan an 11-0 lead.
Maynard added a sacrifice fly in the third inning to score Ilderton to put Logan on top 12-0.
That would be plenty of run support for Lowe, who improved to 4-1 on the year after three innings of one hit baseball. Lowe struck out four and hit one before Logan coach Kevin Gertz pulled him after throwing just 42 pitches with Logan ahead 12-0.
Ivan Miller allowed one hit and struck out one in one inning of relief while Slack yielded three runs on three hits and two walks in 2/3 innings. Williamson retired the only batter he faced in the fifth inning.
Blankenship reached on an error to start the fifth inning and came around to score on Maynard’s second sacrifice fly for Logan’s final run.
Chapmanville put up a fight in the fifth inning, scoring three runs on three hits, however, the three runs were not enough to extend the game to a sixth inning.
Surgoine started the rally with a leadoff single off Slack, who retired the next two hitters, Luke Knight and Talan Thompson, in the Tigers lineup.
Down to their final out, Brody Dalton kept the inning for the Tigers with a single and Trey Butcher ended the Wildcats bid for a shutout with an RBI infield single to score Surgoine with Chapmanville’s first run.
Dalton scored on a wild pitch and Butcher scored on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 13-3. Andrew Farley and Joey Canterbury walked, but Williamson, who replaced Slack after the Canterbury walk, got Topping to fly out to left field ending the game.
Butcher had one hit and one RBI for Chapmanville. Thompson and Topping each had a double and Dalton and Surgoine had one hit apiece.
Blankenship and Lowe each had one hit and two RBIs and Maynard drove in two runs for Logan. Glick had one hit to go along with one RBI and Ramey and Williamson each had one hit.
Chapmanville, the top ranked team in the West Virginia MetroNews Class AA High School Baseball Power Poll, had its five-game winning streak snapped and fell to 24-5 with the loss. The Tigers will host Wayne in an elimination game Friday evening at Ted Ellis Field at 6 p.m.
The Pioneers, seeded fourth in the sectional tournament, eliminated third seeded and sixth-ranked Scott, 5-0, on Thursday night. Chapmanville defeated Wayne, 9-5, scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth on Tuesday night.
Logan improved to 20-8 with the win and is one win away from its third consecutive Class AA Region 4 Section 2 championship.