CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Right fielder A.C. Caldera gunned down a runner at home, Anthony Bonamico made a gutsy sliding catch in center, and on the mound, Tyler Skidmore couldn’t have been more appreciative.
Those defensive gems backed Skidmore’s complete-game effort and sent Bridgeport past Chapmanville 3-1 in the Class AA state semifinals Friday night.
“I’ve never seen an outfield that runs down balls or makes strong throws like ours does,” said Skidmore, who warranted some praise of his own after striking out eight and pitching a six-hitter in his third trip to the state tournament.
While the previous two visits ended in semifinal losses, Skidmore made sure Bridgeport (31-6) advanced a step further this time. Come Saturday, the Indians will meet Independence for the state crown.
After averaging nearly nine runs a game, Chapmanville (29-7) couldn’t mount much offense against Skidmore, who repeatedly fooled hitters with his curve and slider.
“We’re a pretty good hitting team and he kept us off-balance,” said Tigers coach Eric Ellis.
“I’ve never seen an outfield that runs down balls or makes strong throws like ours does.” — Bridgeport pitcher Tyler Skidmore
Chapmanville engineered its best threat while trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Brock Dalton lined a bases-loaded RBI single to right field, but the charging Caldera fielded it at medium-depth and easily threw out the tying runner Brady Cox for the third out.
“Play of the game,” Ellis lamented. “We knew he had a good arm but when you’ve got limited opportunities, you’ve got to go after it.”
So energized by the throw was Caldera that he knocked over Bonamico with a flying chest-bump.
“I wasn’t going to let them tie the game up,” Caldera said. “As an outfielder, you don’t get many chances to throw out somebody at home, so I wanted to take advantage.”
Bonamico flashed his defense in the bottom of the seventh. After Chapmanville put a runner aboard with one out, Bridgeport’s center fielder aggressively tracked Cox’s sinking liner and slid just in time to pluck the ball off the grass. Had it skipped past, Cox might have circled the bases with a game-tying two-run inside-the park homer.
Skidmore fanned the next batter to end the game.
“They made a couple great defensive plays and we botched a couple,” said Ellis.
None of the three runs Trey Dalton (6-4) allowed were earned. The left-hander threw 110 pitches over six-plus innings, surrendering six hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
Caldera scored from second base in the third when Chapmanville’s strong-armed shortstop Tristan Thompson threw wide of a first base on a grounder in the hole.
The lead grew to 2-0 in the fifth when Zach Hineman led off with a triple and scored on a passed ball.
An infield error allowed Dante Bonamico to reach in the sixth before he scored on a single by his older brother Anthony.
That gave Skidmore all the cushion he needed, though his coach stirred the bullpen during the seventh.
Skidmore joked afterward: “I told Coach, ‘I don’t know why you’ve got somebody warming up out there.’ I guess it was a motivational factor.”
RADIO REPLAY: Listen to WVRC’s broadcast of Bridgeport’s 3-1 win over Chapmanville: