SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Keyser’s potent lineup faced a tough test in an effort to stave off elimination Thursday.
The Golden Tornado were matched up against one of West Virginia’s most productive pitchers in Herbert Hoover’s Laila Varney.
Thanks to 12 hits from the top five hitters in the Golden Tornado lineup, Keyser passed that test with flying colors, scoring multiple runs in three of five innings and pushing across five runs with two outs in the fifth to wrap up a 12-4 victory over the Huskies at The Rock.
“She’s tremendous and has a good rise ball and fastball. We told the girls that’s we were going to see and when we get the rise ball and it goes up in the zone and we feel our hands up, let it go,” Keyser head coach Colton Jones said. “We attacked their fastball and put the ball in play. When our lineup is clicking, we have a good one through nine and we can play with anybody.”
The Golden Tornado (27-10) advance to face defending state champion Winfield in the Class AA final. After the Generals went 2-0 Wednesday, including an 11-3 win over the Golden Tornado in the nightcap, Winfield needs one win before two losses to repeat.
“It just means everything for our program. Herbert Hoover is here nearly every year and winning championships and this means we finally made it,” Jones said. “I’m extremely proud of my girls. They fought hard today and it took an effort like this to beat a program like that.”
With its top pitcher Rylee Mangold battling a cut on her pitching hand, KHS has utilized both Mangold and freshman Leighton Johnson at pitcher throughout the state tournament.
The first two Herbert Hoover (27-5) batters reached base against Johnson, but she escaped unscathed in the opening frame thanks to a double play turned by third baseman Mady McIntyre.
In the home half of the first, KHS put its bats on display.
The Golden Tornado connected for three consecutive one-out singles, including one from Mangold to score Johnson for the first run.
No. 5 hitter Bibs Felton, a freshman, followed by roping a double to left that scored two, enabling the Golden Tornado to lead 3-0 through one inning.
“We were going to have to hit to win. It wasn’t going to be a 2-1 or 1-0 type ball game. We were going to have to score to keep up,” Huskies’ head coach Missy Smith said. “They got out on us and we struggled after that.”
Keyser’s lead was cut to 3-1 in the second, and that was still the score in the third when the Huskies put together their most productive frame at the plate.
Sadi Wehrle and Hannah Shamblin worked one-out base-on-balls, and Audrey Canterbury’s groundout to shortstop allowed Wehrle to score following a wild pitch.
Varney and Lexi Kennedy then belted back-to-back ground-rule doubles, leading to a 4-3 Huskies’ lead and Mongold replacing Johnson.
After Mongold induced a ground ball to end the inning, Keyser quickly went back in front, with Felton belting a three-run home run to left after Tayler Likens had singled and Mongold walked.
Mongold struck out the side in the fourth and Likens singled home Brielle Rout in the bottom of the inning after Rout, the KHS leadoff hitter, accounted for a leadoff double.
Mongold had two strikeouts while working a perfect fifth, and the Golden Tornado wouldn’t need her to throw another pitch beyond that.
Although Varney retiring the first two batters she faced in the fifth, the next six reached base, including Rout with a run-scoring single, which was followed by Ivy Bromhal scoring on a wild pitch.
Two batters later, Likens drove in two with a single, and Mongold followed with a single that scored Likens for the game’s final run.
“It came down to them absolutely hitting every ball that we threw near the plate,” Smith said. “Their pitching was effective, but we didn’t put up much of a fight on the defensive side.”
After hitting a home run in each of her first two state tournament games, Likens finished 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs. Felton drove in five runs and Rout set the tone from her leadoff spot by going 3-for-4 with a triple and double.
Mongold had two hits, drove in two runs and retired all seven batters she faced with five strikeouts.
“Leighton feels confident starting games for us and she threw a whale of a game and almost got us three innings. Rylee just performed,” Jones said. “That’s her. She’s an all-state caliber pitcher battling through an injury and she gave it everything she had and pitched great.”
Varney struck out seven and walked four while scattering 13 hits in defeat.
“She pitched well for us all year and threw her guts out here. She pitched about every inning in the postseason and here or there Hannah filled in,” Smith said. “It took a toll on her a little bit today and she wasn’t as sharp as we wanted and needed her to be. The defense didn’t make plays behind her. We gave them way too many opportunities and extra outs and batters. Once the lineup continues to turn over and they see the same pitcher, then they have a tendency to get on them.”