HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — In a game where St. Albans and John Marshall combined for just nine hits in eight innings, a pair of productive outs allowed the No. 2 Red Dragons to extend their season with a 1-0 win over John Marshall in the Class AAA quarterfinals.
St. Albans (30-6) will face the winner of the Robert C. Byrd/Shady Spring game in Friday’s semifinal round.
With the game scoreless entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Mason Bledsoe barreled up the first pitch he saw and sent it down the left field line for a double. Pinch runner Devon Hatfield advanced to third on a two-strike groundout from Gavin Grigsby to set the stage for No. 9 batter Brayden Smith. Smith sent the first pitch into centerfield and Hatfield sprinted home with the game’s lone run.
“Big hit by Bledsoe and him getting to second was huge,” said St. Albans head coach Rick Whitman. “Grigsby couldn’t get the bunt down, but he got the runner over by hitting to the right side. I told Brayden that we were going to bunt him over and try to get him to third to end this thing. That’s how it worked out.”
“All year, I have kind of hit the ball really hard but it has been in the air a lot,” Smith said. “When you have that and a runner on third, that’s all you need to do to win the game. That’s what [Whitman] told me to do. I came out and executed.”
St. Albans starting pitcher Brogan Samms struck out nine batters in 6.1 innings. Braxton Burke recorded the final five outs in relief for the Red Dragons.
John Marshall (22-13) starter Hayden Hughes went the distance for the Monarchs. He allowed just four hits.
“Tip your hat to John Marshall. The Hughes kid had us off balance all day,” Whitman said. “I think we might have barreled up two balls. But we pitched well enough to keep us in the game. We got out of some tough situations, which was big.”
Gavin Comer had three of St. Albans’ four hits. Cain Martin had two hits to lead the Monarchs.