HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Top-seeded George Washington took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of their Class AAAA state quarterfinal contest against MSAC-rival Huntington as the Patriots advanced with a 6-1 victory. GW led 1-0 in the fifth inning before breaking the game open with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth.
“We beat them a combined 33-3 in the first three times we played them and they made us sweat for about six innings today,” said George Washington head coach Mike Davis. “That’s a good team. That’s what I have been saying all year. They are dangerous. Something about them always made me uncomfortable. I think you saw that today.”
Ty Nettles and Ryan Anderson combined on the one-hitter for the Patriots (30-5). Nettles pitched 5.2 innings before reaching the pitch limit. He struck out nine and walked seven.
“He was elite today. We needed it. I think the plan was if we got up, we wanted to get him out of there and have him available for Saturday if we were fortunate enough to make it there. We just couldn’t pull him in a tight game like that.
“I said beforehand, experience in this tournament really does matter. I think that is the fourth state tournament game he has thrown in. It was exceptional.”
Anderson picked up the final four outs in relief. He allowed a single to Jacob Ramey and a run on a wild pitch before stranding the bases loaded in the seventh.
Luke Gordon and Eli Smith both drove in a pair of runs for GW while Jon Fala and Joel Nelson had the other RBIs.
Jaime Legg pitched 5.2 innings for Huntington (19-16). He struck out six and allowed ten hits.
The Patriots will play in the opening semifinal Friday at 5 p.m. against the Washington/Jefferson winner.