Emotions were running high following Mady Farley's game tying solo home run in the fifth inning of Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Winfield at Ronnie "Mule" Ooten Field. Farley is congratulated by teammates Brooke Christian (13) and Erica Sigmon (back left) on her way back to the Lady Tigers dugout (Photo courtesy of CKG Graphics).
Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
CHAPMANVILLE A two out eighth inning single by Evie Loyd and a steady performance in the circle from Mattie Carroll gave fourth-ranked Winfield a 3-2 eight inning win over third-ranked Chapmanville in the second game of a best of three Class AA Region IV championship series Wednesday evening at Ronnie “Mule” Ooten Field.
With the win, Winfield, who improved to 23-9, captured its third consecutive Class AA Region IV championship and advanced to next week’s state tournament where they will face top-ranked Herbert Hoover (26-3) Wednesday morning.
The Lady Huskies and Lady Generals will begin approximately 30 minutes after the completion of Wednesday’s opening round game between eighth-ranked Bluefield (17-5) and co-No. 9 Keyser (25-9), which is slated for a 9:45 a.m. at South Charleston’s Little Creek Park.
Bluefield will be making its first ever state tournament appearance in school history while Keyser is in the state tournament for the first time since 2012 and just the second time in school history.
Winfield, the reigning Class AA champion, led 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Mady Farley hit a solo home run over the left field fence to tie the game at 2-2.
Looking to avoid extra innings, Winfield’s Brooklyn Cole laid down a bunt and advanced to second on a throwing error to start the seventh. Kenlie Zigmond then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Cole to third with one out, but the momentum swung in the Lady Tigers favor with Alex Hurley at the plate.
Facing an 0-1 count, Winfield elected for a squeeze bunt, however, Hurley was unable to get the bunt down, and Cole was tagged out in a run down between home and third for the second out.
Chapmanville starting pitcher Chloe Murphy got Hurley to strike out looking ending the top of the seventh and keep the score knotted up at 2-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, Hannah Miller walked with two outs, but was left stranded on the base path as Laken Parks grounded out to first base to send the game into extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Emeri Nelson doubled to left field leading off the inning. Following a Murphy strikeout of Lilly Chandler for the first out, Cole popped out to the shortstop for out number two.
Facing Loyd with two outs and a runner at second, it would appear that Murphy would work out of another jam, but Loyd singled on a 1-2 count into center field scoring Nelson with the go-ahead run.
Carroll got Brooke Christian to ground out and Murphy to strike out to start the bottom of the eighth before catcher Erica Sigmon flew out to center field for the final out sending the Winfield into celebration mode.
Sigmon, the lone Chapmanville senior, narrowly missed a game-tying solo home run as her flyball was in front of the center field fence by Cole ending the Lady Tigers season at 25-6.
Carroll pitched eight innings and allowed two runs, struck out two, walked two and hit one batter for her second win in the series.
Six different Lady Generals had one hit and three of those six had one hit and one RBI each in the win. Chandler, Hurley and Loyd each had one hit and one RBI while Nelson had a double while Cole and McClellan each had a single.
Chapmanville got on the board first in the bottom of the third when Murphy’s double scored Parks for a 1-0 lead.
Murphy, who allowed three runs on six hits while striking out nine in eight innings, was perfect through four innings but that quickly changed in the top of the fifth.
Cole led off the fifth with a bunt single and moved to second on Zigmond’s sacrifice bunt before coming around to score on Hurley’s single to tie the game, 1-1. Hurley advanced to third on a ground out and came around to score on Chandler’s single to give Winfield a 2-1 lead.
Murphy had two hits including a double and one RBI for Chapmanville. Farley had a solo home run and Charity Atwood, Miller and Parks each had a single.
Class AA Region IV Championship
Ronnie “Mule” Ooten Field- Chapmanville, WV
Winfield 3, Chapmanville 2 (Eight Innings)
Winfield 000 020 01- 3 6 0
Chapmanville 001 010 00- 2 6 1
Carroll and McClellan. Murphy and Sigmon. Top hitters: W: Chandler 1-3, RBI; Hurley 1-3, RBI; Loyd 1-4, RBI; Nelson 1-3, double. C: Murphy 2-4, double, RBI; Farley 1-3, home run.
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