HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Staring at an eight-run deficit in before they stepped to the plate for their first at bat, defending Class AAA state champion Ripley scored 12 of the game’s final 14 runs in a 12-10 state quarterfinal victory over Spring Valley. The No. 4 Vikings will continue their title defense Friday at 10 a.m. against No. 1 Bridgeport in the opening semifinal.
Spring Valley (25-11) sent 11 men to the plate in the top of the first, scoring eight runs on five hits. Ripley (25-10) went to work on the deficit immediately by scoring five runs in the bottom of the frame before the game entered a weather delay of nearly one hour.
“That was fun,” said Ripley head coach Shane Casto. “What a ball game. You have an 8-5 first inning and then we have a delay. We settled in pitching, got the bats hot. We tie it up. They take the lead. We come back. It was a great ball game. Hats off to those guys for not quitting and for our guys to keep swinging.
“They don’t have eight-run home runs. Let’s just try to get a couple here and there, chip away at it and see what happens.
“I don’t know in all my years in the dugout if I have seen a first inning like that before. It was just a lot of fun. I know the fans, outside of the rain, probably enjoyed it. A lot of action, runs, big pitches and big hits. Just a good game.”
After the weather delay concluded, Ripley scored one run in the second and two more in the fourth to tie the game at 8.
Spring Valley used a run-scoring single from Caiden Lovejoy in the sixth to retake the lead at 9-8. However, the Vikings answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a lead they would not relinquish.
WVU commit Bryson Casto tossed five innings in relief of Parker Keller. The RHS junior allowed one run on three hits. Landon Meadows recorded the final three outs in the seventh to earn the save.
“Parker didn’t have his stuff, obviously, to start the game. We really didn’t want to go to Bryson that early. We ended up going to him and he got them in and out and off the field quick.”
Castro went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and he scored four runs. Peyton Keller led Ripley with three hits.
Making their first state tournament appearance, Lovejoy and Jake Vanarsdale each had three hits for the Timberwolves.