KEYSER, W.Va. — Late insurance runs allowed Class AA No. 3 Petersburg to leave Keyser with a 9-7 win in a matchup with top of the state’s top teams.
Trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, the Vikings (20-3) scored the game’s next eight runs and they held off a five-run rally from the Class AAA No. 4 Golden Tornado in the bottom of the seventh.
“We mentioned to the girls that they are three phases. You’ve got the first part of the game which we didn’t win. That goes to Keyser.” said Petersburg head coach Dwayne Hedrick. “We really emphasized that middle part. That’s kind of where we got it started.”
Keyser took an early lead with a run-scoring double from Tavery Lyons in the bottom of the second inning. Petersburg evened the score in the top of the fourth when Miley Tingler stole third base and scored on a throwing error. However, KHS answered in the bottom of the frame when Lyons delivered her second RBI double.
KHS starting pitcher Leighton Johnson held the Vikings to one hit in the first four innings. However, the Vikings used a pair of home runs in the fifth to take their first lead of the game. Lacey Moyers’ solo home run was later followed up by a three-run shot off the bat of Tingler, giving PHS a 5-2 advantage.
“Lacey Moyers, our first home run tonight, that just broke the ice a little bit for us. Then Miley Tingler had the big shot that really put us up, that kind of got our momentum going. We got some bats and baserunners going. And then the key was we tacked on some additional runs at the end. That can’t be overlooked. We got another big hit from Ella Markwell with a big home run ball.”
Markwell’s two-run home run in the seventh inning gave the Vikings eight unanswered runs and a 9-2 lead.
However, Keyser sparked a rally in the bottom of the seventh. After their leadoff batter reached on a walk, Bibs Felton hit a comebacker off the shin of PHS starting pitcher Gracie Carpenter. Carpenter was removed from the game. She was charged with three runs in six-plus innings of work.
“Gracie has been hit probably three or four times. That one was the worst. I hope she is OK. I think she is going to be OK. But it is going to take her a little bit to bounce back from that.”
Six consecutive batters reached base for the Golden Tornado in the inning. However, Petersburg’s second relief pitcher, Moyers, was able to induce a fly out and a pair of ground balls to end the game.
“She is the type of pitcher that can keep the ball down. I think that was the key for us, to not elevate the ball.”
Johnson struck out eight batters in six innings for Keyser (14-4). Felton went 3-for-3 for KHS and she reached base in all four of her plate appearances. Brielle Root and Lyons also had multi-hit games. Kailynn Burns and Lyons both drove in a pair of runs.
Tingler and Ella Chew each has two hits for the Vikings. Tingler scored three runs. Six of Petersburg’s nine runs came by way of a home run.
Petersburg is the third team in West Virginia (John Marshall and Gilmer County) to reach the 20-win mark. The Vikings have won eight games in a row and 12 of their last 13.
“We knew coming in that we would see a good pitcher and a solid team. These are the kind of games that get us ready for postseason play, and hopefully for the state tournament.”