ELKINS – For the first time since 2006, the Buckhannon Post 7 baseball team is heading to the West Virginia State American Legion Tournament.
Post 7 won a wild game three in a best of three series with Elkins Post 29 by a 12-9 score in eight innings of action in the Area V Tournament.
Post 7 built a 6-0 lead but fell behind by an 8-6 score before rallying for the three-run extra innings victory.
“The game was back and forth after we got out to a good lead early,” noted Buckhannon Post 7 general manager Kevin Boring. “It goes back to what we’ve been talking about for a long time with these guys: never giving up, taking it pitch by pitch, taking it at-bat by at-bat and trying to stay composed the best you can in tough situations. Every kid that was in the game tonight did something to help us win.”
Buckhannon chased across three runs on just two hits, singles by Ryder Aman and Grant Mealey, in the top of the first for an early 3-0 lead. They also took advantage of a walk, two Elkins errors and two stolen bases.
With Mealey and Ryan Snyder each knocking in a run and Gage Parsons’ scoring a run on a double play ball in the top of the third, Buckhannon extended their lead to 6-0.
Elkins made it a game with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth inning making it a 6-5 contest and then scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning taking a 8-6 lead.
Post 7 took the lead back with three runs in the top of the seventh as Peyton Bennett and Eli Bryant each knocked in a run and Post 7 was aided by and Elkins error the other run as they went up 9-8.
Elkins tied the game at 9-9 with a bases loaded walk to Albert Gonzales but Post 7 reliever Zach Calef-Boring struck out Austin Bolyard with the bases loaded to force extra innings.
Buckhannon tacked on three more runs in the top of the eighth as Mealey drew a walk and scored on a single by Bennett, Calef-Boring singled and later scored on an Elkins error and Snyder singled and later scored on a passed ball.
Elkins managed to get a runner to second base in the bottom of the eighth inning but Calef-Boring stranded the runner there getting a strike out of Ethan Humphrey for the final out of the game.
Buckhannon outhit Elkins in the contest by an 11-7 margin.
Mealey and Snyder each led the offense for Post 7 with three hits apiece.
Calef-Boring earned the win tossing 3 1/3 innings of relief. He allowed just one earned run on three hits while fanning four.
Buckhannon, which won two straight over Elkins after dropping the first game of the Area V Tournament, improved to 13-17 on the year.
Post 7 is now scheduled for the state tournament in which they will play the host of the tournament and Area 2 champion Morgantown Post 2 Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Morgantown defeated Bridgeport Post 68 by a 17-1 score in the Area 2 championship game.
“It’s been since 2006 since Post 7 has been to the state tournament, it’s been a struggle to get back there but we are happy to represent Area V in the tournament,” concluded Boring.
The boxscore:
Buckhannon 303 000 33 – 12
Elkins 000 530 10 – 9
E – Buckhannon 0, Elkins 6. DP — Buckhannon 1, Elkins 1. LoB – Buckhannon 9, Elkins 10. 2B – Mealey, Snyder, Scott, Humphrey. SB – Aman, Mealey, Calef-Boring, Bennett 2. SF – Humphrey.
Hitting
Buckhannon Post 7 – Ryder Aman cf, 4 2 1 0; Eli Bryant rf, 2 2 1 1; Ian Donnen p-c, 4 1 1 0; Grant Mealey 3b, 3 3 3 1; Zach Calef-Boring 2b-p, 4 1 1 1; Ryan Snyder 1b, 5 2 3 2; Gage Parsons c, 3 0 0 0; Drayden Rice p-2b-ss, 1 0 0 0; Peyton Bennett lf, 4 1 1 1; Wyatt Mason ss, 2 0 0 0; Tucker Burr 2b, 2 0 0 0 Totals 34 12 11 6.
Elkins Post 29 – Cody Cooper ss, 3 0 1 2; Albert Gonzales 3b, 0 1 0 2; Cam Biller p-cf-2b, 5 0 0 0; Matthew Pratt lf, 1 0 0 0; Austin Bolyard lf, 3 2 1 0; Lincoln Scott c, 4 2 1 0; Brayden Hamer cf-p, 3 2 1 1; Gavin Carr rf, 5 2 2 1; Ethan Humphrey 1b, 3 0 1 2; Nick Gonzales 2b, 2 0 0 0; Miles Hutzler p, 1 0 0 0. Totals 30 9 7 8.
Pitching
Buckhannon Post 7 – Donnen: 4 innings, 3 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, 6 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch, 1 hit batsman (Bolyard); Rice: 2/3 of an inning, 1 hit, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout; Calef-Boring (W): 3 1/3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts.
Elkins Post 29 – Biller: 2 innings, 3 hits, 6 runs 5 earned runs, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 hit batsman (Donnen); Hamer: 3 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch; Hutzler (L): 2 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 6 runs, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch, 1 balk.
AREA CHAMPIONS
Area I – Parkersburg Post 15
Area II – Morgantown Post 2
Area III – South Charleston Post 94
Area IV – Berkeley Post 14
Area V – Buckhannon Post 7
