CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Three takeaways from Wahama’s 5-4 win over Wheeling Central in the West Virginia Class A state championship:
1. Bang-bang stolen base proved crucial.
With Wahama trailing 4-3 in the sixth, Philip Hoffman nearly was erased on a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play. By sliding to the back of the bag, however, he was narrowly safe at second.
“I was thinking he shouldn’t go,” Wahama coach Tom Cullen said with a laugh. “He’s done that a few times and got nailed.”
Two batters later, Hoffman scored the tying run when Wheeling Central was unable to convert a first-and-third rundown.
2. Senior takes losing in perspective.
Wheeling Central first baseman Brian Campbell could have been crestfallen after the championship loss. Instead he focused on consoling his younger teammates.
“These freshman, sophomores and juniors, they’re unbelievable and they’re going to have a great team next year,” Campbell said.
“I look at these sophomores and they think it’s their fault and they say, ‘Soup, we’re sorry.’ They don’t need to be sorry. They were put in a tough position. They’re 15- and 16-years-old and we were relying on them. They have a chance to do great things these next couple years, and they’re going to.”
3. Rain delay helps pitcher?
Charged with four runs and seven hits through four innings, Mason Hicks looked energized once Wahama began its comeback. He retired the final nine Wheeling Central batters, the final eight after returnig from an hour-long rain delay.
“He didn’t have good zip on the ball early,” Cullen said, “but the second time out you got to see the Mason Hicks that I’ve seen the last few years.”
Though Hicks fanned six and ran his record to 8-3, he was excluded from the all-tournament team because ballots were collected in the fifth inning when Wahama still trailed.