HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Four days removed from a two-hit shutout against Madonna in the Class A quarterfinals, Sherman’s Luke Tagliente matched the feat with another gem as the Tide played their way to the state championship game with a 3-0 win over Pendleton County in the second Class A semifinal.
Against the Wildcats, Tagliente did not allow a hit past the second inning. He struck out nine batters and walked two in a 98-pitch performance.
“He finished up this year with a 0.00 ERA. Nobody scored a run off him this year,” said Sherman head coach Jeremiah Pettry. “He is probably the best pitcher in the state, in my opinion.”
The Tide (26-8) produced all of their runs in the first two innings. Tagliente led off the game with a triple and he was immediately sent home with Elijah Jeffrey’s RBI single. In the second, back-to-back RBI singles from Tagliente and Jeffrey allowed Colby Atkins and Tagliente to score, respectively.
No. 3 Sherman will face No. 4 Gilmer County Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Class A State Championship. GCHS defeated No. 1 Huntington St. Joseph’s, 8-4 in the opening semifinal. The Tide has advanced to the final for the first time since 1990. Gilmer is in the title game for the first time since 2001.
“They have been together for so long. We just have confidence in each other. This is the same team, and I keep mentioning it, they have been in the Little League State Tournament years ago and did real well. Anytime we put Tagliente on the mound, I’ve got confidence in what he can do.”
“This is something special,” Pettry said. “You can tell by our crowd.”
Pendleton County (17-17) received base hits from Jaxon Simon and Mason Miller. Travis Owens and Miller combined for 2.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Chase Owens.