Bridgeport comfortably back into Class AA title game

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two-time Class AA defending state champion Bridgeport cruised to a 10-0, five-inning win over Braxton County on Thursday, advancing to its third straight state baseball championship game.

“Some of these kids are still new (to the state tournament environment),” said Bridgeport coach Bob Shields. “We lost a lot of seniors from last year. We saw some shakiness from our guys a little bit in the Grafton game (regional semifinals). But the last two games, they’ve been doing a good job. They were very focused and I saw it in their eyes from the get-go.”

Bridgeport’s Hunter Haddix threw a complete game shutout on the mound, giving up just three hits and striking out two.

“His slider looked really good,” Shields said. “He spotted his fastball well and his curve was in there a lot. He did a nice job, a really nice job.”

The senior bounced back from a shaky start in that regional game last week against Grafton where the Bearcats scored four runs in the first inning.

“My slider was working the most and breaking off really well,” Haddix said of his effort Thursday. “I tried to get them off-balanced and I didn’t throw a lot of fastballs until I was down in the count. We knew (Braxton County) would struggle with the curveballs and sliders, but hit the fastball well.”

The Indians (29-6) got on the board in the top of the third, scoring four runs on six hits with a Braxton County error. Bridgeport added two more runs in the fourth, including an RBI double from Elijah Drummond, giving Haddix more than enough runs to work with.

“My teammates always have my back,” Haddix said. “It’s great coming out here in the first game of the state tournament to make a statement and have everyone watching us. When we got those four runs, we saw (Braxton County) get a nervous, which is how it should be in a state tournament game.”

A two-RBI single from Drew Hefner in the fifth expanded Bridgeport’s lead out to 8-0. Drummond’s sacrifice fly put the Indians up 10-0 later in the inning.

Braxton County (22-11) loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn’t push a run across. Eagles’ starter Seth Backus went 3.1 innings on the mound, giving up six runs on eight hits and walking three.

“They got to Seth (Backus), we started to unravel and they let it get to them a little bit,” said Braxton County coach Jacob Wolfe. “It is what it is. They’re still 15-18 year old kids, so it’s expected that they’re not going to be cold-blooded.

“Bridgeport made us hit the ball and they made the plays that they had to make,” he continued. “They played better than us and they deserved to win today. But we had a great season and getting here is a treat itself. There’s nothing I can complain about, I just wish for a better result.”

Drummond and Hefner finished with three RBIs apiece for the Indians. Bridgeport will face PikeView in Saturday’s state title game at 10 a.m.

 

Class AA replay: Watch Bridgeport’s 10-0 win over Braxton County





More High School Sports

High School Sports
Herbert Hoover improves to 10-0 with 2-1 win over Hurricane
The Huskies collected a pair of victories Thursday in the Guard the Capital Invitational in Charleston.
March 29, 2024 - 12:51 am
High School Sports
Independence bests Wahama, 10-2 in the Guard the Capital Tournament
March 28, 2024 - 9:03 pm
High School Sports
Photo gallery: University defeats Bridgeport, 12-3
March 28, 2024 - 6:24 pm
High School Sports
Class AAA Boys Basketball All-State List
State champion Shady Spring lands two on first team, including captain Ammar Maxwell.
March 28, 2024 - 8:42 am