WEST UNION, W.Va. — Doddridge County matched Sissonville’s two runs in the first inning to get even at 2.
When the Class AA No. 2 Indians struck for three in the second, it squarely turned the contest in their favor. Of even more importance, it provided a big lift to starting pitcher Layne Coffman, who overcame a sluggish start to his outing to throw a complete game and lift his team to its 10th consecutive win, 8-3.
“He settled in and pitched really well,” Sissonville coach Chad Carpenter said. “I told him in the huddle it’s easy for a pitcher to win when he has his good stuff, but what separates average guys from guys that are great is when you don’t have your good stuff and you can find a way to get outs. Layne did that tonight and I’m super proud of him.”
Coffman was a force at the plate to help his cause and generated his first of three hits on a single to start the game. A two-out error in the top of the first inning enabled both Coffman and Cooper Nooney to score after the latter had been hit by a pitch.
“You have to take care of the baseball and you can’t give up free runs,” Bulldogs’ coach Nate Wright said. “Good teams are going to take advantage of that.”
The two-run lead was short-lived for Sissonville (19-5) as the No. 6 Bulldogs (21-7) had four straight batters reach with one out in the home half of the first, including three by way of single. Dayne Murphy and Luke Rokisky were responsible for two of the three hits, both of which drove in one run.
But with two in scoring position and one out, Malachi Kelley lined out to shortstop for the start of an inning-ending double play.
The Indians then effectively played small ball in the second to take control of the matchup.
Landon Chapman led off with a base-on-balls and moved to second on a successful sacrifice bunt from Hayden Jarrett that led to a throwing error and Jarrett reaching first.
A bunt single from Deacon Moore created a bases loaded situation for Coffman, who roped a double to right field to score two and put his team back on top at 4-2.
“We want to utilize speed,” Carpenter said. “One through nine, we feel like we can take bases when the opportunity arises and it puts a lot of pressure on them, and that’s what we want to do. The last couple weeks these guys have really bought into what we’re trying to do with getting guys on, getting guys over and getting them in. They did a great job again tonight there.”
Malyki Holtzman added a run-scoring single later in the inning, which ended with a double play on a fly ball to center that also created an out at the plate.
But the damage had been done and Sissonville’s 5-2 lead was plenty of support for Coffman, who retired the side in order in the second.
An error and walk enabled DCHS to have two on with one out in the third, but Coffman retired Murphy on a fly ball and Rokisky on a ground ball to escape unscathed.
Although SHS stranded a pair in the fourth, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on another threat when they came to bat that inning and left the bases loaded as a result of Tristan Swiger’s groundout.
The Indians added to their lead without managing a hit in the fifth as Nooney drew a base-on-balls, moved to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored on Chase Litton’s groundout to shortstop.
Doddridge got back to within three in the fifth when Murphy singled to right to plate Caleb Hall, who had drawn his third walk in the previous plate appearance.
But that was as close as the Bulldogs would get as the Indians capitalized on another Doddridge error in the sixth to score twice and up the lead to five.
Wright’s team stranded two more in the sixth after producing consecutive two-out singles, before Coffman retired all three batters he faced in the seventh, including Murphy on a high-level catch at shortstop from Cooper Hall.
“Credit to their pitcher, because he pitched a good game, but you’re going to see arms like that and teams like that if you advance in the playoffs,” Wright said.
Coffman struck out three, walked four and allowed six hits in the stellar showing. He finished 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, two RBI and a pair of runs.
Moore had two hits in the win.
Swiger and Murphy both had two hits in defeat, while Swiger suffered the loss after being charged with six runs on five hits over five innings.
Hunter Hayhurst pitched the final two innings for Doddridge.
The result allows the Indians to avenge a 10-9 eight-inning loss to the Bulldogs back in the first week of April.
“These guys take it day by day and make it fun for everybody, and they enjoy what they’re doing,” Carpenter said. “We’re playing confident and all that helps with the confidence.”