WEST UNION, W.Va. — Class AA No. 10 Doddridge County struggled to throw strikes for extended stretches of Monday’s matchup with Grafton.
As the game progressed, however, that became less of an issue for the Bulldogs and more of one for the Bearcats, helping the home team score in all but one inning, while Doddridge County produced the game’s final four runs to earn a 10-7 victory.
“That’s the first close game where we’ve come from behind and held it together towards the end,” Doddridge head coach Nate Wright said. “We have a younger team, so them figuring it out and putting it together at the end is big.”
Trailing 7-6 to start the home half of the fourth, the Bulldogs (14-8) got a leadoff walk from Brody Brockleman, who stole second, took third on the first out and scored on the second to tie the game.
Grafton (16-14) had a prime opportunity to regain the lead in the fifth after consecutive base-on-balls and a John Gouzd single created a bases loaded situation with one out. But Bulldogs’ relief pitcher Luke Rokisky regained his form at the right time and induced two outs through the air from the first two hitters in the GHS lineup to keep the game tied at 7.
“What we want to see is improvement with what has kind of plagued us all season, and that’s too many walks from our pitchers and too many times with guys on third, less than two outs and we’re unable to get them in,” GHS head coach John Gouzd said. “It affected us on both ends today. We had a couple opportunities to get more runs in and didn’t, and we give them a couple guys on base that find a way to score.”
Doddridge then made the most of a leadoff walk drawn by Dayne Murphy in the fifth, with Tristan Swiger following with a single and Josh DeHaven later drawing a free pass with one out to set up a bases loaded situation. Although Bearcats’ relief pitcher Mason Sheme got a strikeout to keep the matchup tied, he then walked Brockleman to force in the go-ahead run, before throwing a wild pitch that allowed the Bulldogs to gain a two-run advantage.
“You look at any high school baseball game in West Virginia, most times it comes down to who’s putting the most guys on base,” coach Gouzd said. “If you’re walking guys, they find a way to score. Especially when you get a lead, you have to attack the zone and make them earn it. You have a chance to pull away and instead you let them back in it and they find a way to win it late.”
Grafton stranded two more in the sixth, while DCHS added to its lead in that inning courtesy of a two-out single off the bat of Swiger, allowing Rokisky to score after he’d drawn a leadoff walk.
Rokisky struck out a pair to start the seventh and retired leadoff hitter Carter Gillespie on a fly ball to left to seal the outcome.
It was an inauspicious start for Doddridge, with starting pitcher Hunter Hayhurst issuing consecutive walks to start the outing that helped lead to two Grafton runs in the first inning, the later of which Grant Murphy provided with a single.
However, the Bulldogs got even in their trip to the plate with Brockleman’s leadoff single and a Bearcat error helping Doddridge generate early offense that included Murphy’s run-scoring triple.
Gillespie’s second-inning single made it 3-2, while the visitors gained a three-run advantage in the third after Jacob Moats drove in a run with a single and Levi Newlon brought in another on a double.
But the Doddridge offense broke out in a big way against Gouzd in the third, generating four runs on four hits, including a Maxwell Nicholson single that brought in one run, a Murphy double that provided another and DeHaven’s two-run single that came directly after consecutive walks.
“Don’t just sit up there trying to draw a walk, but he held up on that first pitch, and then he got his pitch and drove it to the outfield,” Wright said. “Be aggressive, but be smart. That’s essentially what I’m looking for.”
An error helped Grafton produce two runs in the fourth without a hit, but that was all the offense the Bearcats managed the rest of the way.
Doddridge finished with an 8-6 advantage on hits and drew seven walks to six for the Bearcats.
Sheme, who entered to start the bottom of the fifth, took the loss after allowing three runs on two hits with four walks.
Rokisky picked up the win with four solid innings. He allowed one hit, struck out a pair and issued three base-on-balls.
“Luke’s very effective and fills it up. He has a curve ball. If he can work ahead, he’s a good pitcher out there for us,” Wright said.
When the two teams met last month, Grafton was victorious at home, 11-1.
“They got us by 10 runs a few weeks back,” Wright said, “so it’s nice to come back home and get them here.”