NUTTER FORT, W.Va. — One win away from their first state tournament appearance in 36 years, East Fairmont wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard in the Class AAA Region I co-final. The Bees scored eight runs in the first inning and cruised to a 13-2, 5-inning win over Brooke to scan their ticket to play at Marshall University in two weeks.
East Fairmont sent 13 batters to the plate in the opening frame. Brody Bledsoe’s two-run single and Owen Music’s bases-clearing triple bookended the inning and gave the Bees all the offense they would need to wrap up the regional.
“They wanted to go on the attack today,” said East Fairmont head coach Joe Price. “They had a good approach at the plate. They got guys on base and got traffic on the bases. They got them across. That was a big inning for us to let Joey [Schnore] settle in.”
The Bees tacked on three more runs in the second and single runs in the third and fourth, scoring in each of their four innings at the plate.
Junior Joey Schnore went the distance on the mound for East. He scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out three.
“Joey has given us that for pretty much the entire year. He stayed around the zone and kept them off balance. Our defense made plays behind him and that was the expectation of Joey being out there. He did a heck of a job.”
Brooke’s season ends with a record of 16-19-1. Aiden Lathem and Andrew Murdock drove in runs for the Bruins.
Music and Carter McKnight each had multi-hit games for EFHS. Music drove in a team-high four runs. Each Bee batter reached base at least once.
With a roster of just 13 players, East Fairmont (20-9) is back in the state tournament for the first time since 1990, when they won the Class AAA title.
“This is the ‘Mean 13’, man. They have done an excellent job and hit the ground running from Day 1 and they haven’t looked back.
“I wouldn’t count these guys out on anything right here. They are locked in and dialed in. They finished the second half of the year just phenomenal. They are playing for each other and that’s the biggest thing. These 13 guys are playing as one. That’s pretty dangerous right now.”