HURRICANE, W.Va. — No. 1 Hurricane defeated Spring Valley 12-2 on Friday night for the Class AAA Region 4, Section 2 championship, capping a week of pressure-packed elimination games.
It was Spring Valley that made waves early in the week, beating No. 2 Cabell Midland on Monday 7-6 and then pulling off another upset on Tuesday, beating the top-ranked Redskins 4-2.
Those results forced Hurricane and Cabell Midland into an elimination contest on Wednesday, won by Hurricane 4-2 as Noah Birthisel went 3 for 3 with two runs scored.
In another must-win game on Thursday, the Redskins handed Spring Valley its first sectional loss, 15-3, powered by Bo Adkins and Jake Allen who both totaled three RBIs apiece in the win.
Friday’s 12-2 win for Hurricane was completed with a seven-run fifth inning as Chandler Kelley went 3 for 3 with four RBIs and two runs scored, while Tyler Cox finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs.
Cox also picked up the win on the mound, giving up two runs on eight hits and striking out three.
It’s a Hurricane (27-4) team overall looking for redemption after coming up one game short of a state championship last year.
“We had so many kids who were a part of that and it’s motivation for them,” said Hurricane coach Brian Sutphin. “Those seniors last year were freshmen when we won it in 2014 – they wanted to be a part of that. These guys went through that last year and were that close. It’s certainly motivating for them.”
The Redskins now move on to face No. 5 Parkersburg South in a best-of-three regional series, which begins on Monday, May 21.
AAA Region 4, Section 2: #1 Hurricane, #2 Cabell Midland, #10 Huntington, Spring Valley
- #1 Hurricane 6, #10 Huntington 0
- Spring Valley 7, #2 Cabell Midland 6
- #2 Cabell Midland 11, #10 Huntington 1 — Huntington eliminated
- Spring Valley 4, #1 Hurricane 2
- #1 Hurricane 4, #2 Cabell Midland 2 — Cabell Midland eliminated
- #1 Hurricane 15, Spring Valley 3
- #1 Hurricane 12, Spring Valley 2 — Spring Valley eliminated