10:06am: Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval

Bridgeport notches sixth straight AA title with 5-2 win over Frankfort

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A year ago, it was one for the thumb.

Now it’s time to move to the other hand.

Bridgeport won its sixth consecutive Class AA championship Saturday, riding the right arm of seldom-used pitcher Nick Stalnaker for a 5-2 victory over Frankfort at Appalachian Power Park.

“It gets harder every year. These kids attained a lot. I’m proud of them,” veteran BHS coach Robert Shields said. “They all worked hard. Big-time players do good things in big-time situations and this group of boys went above and beyond what they were supposed to do when called upon.”

Stalnaker, the Indians’ every day first baseman who had pitched in only two games all season, threw five strong innings to pick up the victory. The junior allowed two runs — both of which scored after he left the mound — and scattered five hits, while issuing a pair of walks. He struck out one and relied on the defense behind him, which turned three double plays on the night.

“This morning, coach called me and he was like, ‘You want the ball?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’” Stalnaker said. “I had heard there was a possibility I might go, so I was ready.”

Bridgeport (31-7) also allowed Stalnaker to pitch with a lead from the second inning on after it broke the ice with a pair of runs in the home half of the first.

Ryan Goff’s leadoff single and Vincenzo Cava reaching on an error put the first two Tribe batters on. Stalnaker sacrificed both runners with a bunt and Ethan Perry lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Goff for the game’s first run.

Drew Harbert followed with a key two-out single to right that scored Cava and made it 2-0.

“We had some guys throughout the lineup that had some big-time at bats,” Shields said.

A pair of Tribe errors combined with Michael White’s single enabled the Falcons (27-6) to load the bases in the second inning, but Stalnaker induced a fly ball to center off the bat of Zack Whitacre to escape trouble.

The Indians also loaded the bases in the second, but Whitacre retired Cava and Stalnaker without allowing a run to keep the deficit at two.

Bridgeport’s Robert Shields postgame interview

Stalnaker issued a leadoff walk to Sebastian Stewart in the fourth, before Bridgeport turned its first double play on a ball hit back to the mound by Damon Spencer.

“He threw some pens in May, but I’ve always had this in the back of my mind if we come into a situation like this,” Shields said. “Nick’s an athlete and I felt like I wanted to give a great athlete the ball.”

The Indians added another run in the fourth after Trey Pancake walked, stole second and was driven in on Austin Sponaugle’s single to right.

“That team earned the game today and made the plays to win the game,” Frankfort coach Matt Miller said. “They hit the ball where we weren’t. Nobody hit the ball hard pretty much the whole day. The balls that were hit, they hit them where we weren’t and they found more holes than we did. They beat us square up and they earned it.”

Frankfort threatened again in the fifth after back-to-back singles by Whitacre and Caleb Hare, but Stalnaker induced a double play to short off the bat of Chandler Rhodes to end the inning.

MetroNews Game Broadcast

“Those were really big. Those are confidence boosters and really help you get momentum,” Stalnaker said.

Perry and Harbert both singled in the fifth, which led to J.D. Love’s sacrifice fly that scored courtesy runner D’Andre Hollaway for a 4-0 advantage.

But the Indians stranded a pair of runners in the fifth and things tightened up in the sixth.

Stalnaker hit Brady Whitacre with a pitch and was taken off the mound following Brendan Whiteman’s single to center.

In came Tyler Wilkinson and he issued a walk to Stewart to load the bases. Spencer followed with a fly ball to right that Cava laid out for, but it was ruled a trap. The Falcons, however, weren’t sure if the ball had been caught or not, allowing the play to result in a fielder’s choice with an out at the plate.

White’s sacrifice fly in the next at bat brought home Frankfort’s first run and Ben Nestor followed with a sharp single to left that plated Stewart to make it a 4-2 game.

But Wilkinson got Zack Whitacre to groundout to short to end the inning with the Indians still up two runs.

“That’s Tyler. He keeps the ball down and did a nice job of what he was supposed to do,” Shields said. “He’s a setup guy and did a great job for us.”

Perry’s sixth-inning single scored Cava for the game’s final run, and Conner Robe worked around a leadoff walk to pitch a scoreless seventh

Perry and Harbert each had two hits to key the Tribe’s nine-hit attack.

Hare had two of the Falcons’ six hits in defeat.

Zack Whitacre took the loss after allowing five runs, three of which were earned, in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.

“We didn’t get the job done today,” Miller said, “but I wouldn’t trade this team for any team in the world.”

Class AA all-tournament team

Ryan Goff, Bridgeport 

Nick Stalnaker, Bridgeport

Vincenzo Cava, Bridgeport

Tim Via, Bridgeport

Drew Harbert, Bridgeport

Zack Whitacre, Frankfort

Caleb Hare, Frankfort

Carter Lyles, Scott

Aaron Epling, Scott

Kenneth Sizemore, Shady Spring





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