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Warwood Redbirds Stave Off Elimination Again in Mountain State Pony League Tournament

Photo by Seth Staskey / Elm Grove’s Kasey Cassi is tagged out by Warwood second baseman James Francis after a brief rundown during the second inning of Friday’s Mountaineer Pony League game at Warwood’s Garden Park. Warwood rolled to a 13-1 victory.

WHEELING — Warwood found itself in a tough position Friday evening.

The Redbirds were playing their sixth game in as many nights and facing a once-beaten and well-rested Elm Grove squad in the championship of the Mountain State Pony League at Garden Park.

None of that mattered in the least.

Warwood struck early and often en route to a mercy-rule shortened 13-1 victory in six innings against Elm Grove. The win forces a decisive championship game at 6 p.m. today.

“The kids played fantastic and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” Warwood head coach Ryan Storm said. “This was probably about as complete of a performance as we could have put together.”

Indeed.

The Redbirds played well in every aspect of the game. Pitching? Erik Cove worked five strong innings, allowing only three hits. Hitting? They pounded out nine hits, including a towering solo home run by Alex Maguire. Defense? They made only two errors and left fielder Chance Knight turned in a sparkling game with four putouts and an outfield assist.

Not bad for a team that had been beaten twice by the Eagles during the regular season.

“Bottom line is we were outplayed in all facets of the game,” Elm Grove head coach Don Shelek said. “We’ll do our best to re-group and play again (tonight). Give Warwood credit. They’re a hot team right now and playing well.”

Warwood, which was the visiting team, wasted no time in asserting itself. It scored twice in the first, but they blew the game open with a five-spot in the second. The rally was sparked by a two-run single from Tyler Wheeler and a run-scoring hit from James Francis.

Those runs were plenty for Cove, who was dealing. Mixing his pitches and working ahead in the count, Cove allowed just one hit after the second inning and finished with three strikeouts.

“The kids are riding a good wave right now, but we still have one more to win,” Storm said. “Elm Grove is a fantastic team, but we’ve been on a nice roll. Everyone contributed, but it all starts with pitching and Erik did a fantastic job.”

Helping fuel the Warwood offense was Xavier Morris. From the lead-off spot he had two doubles, two singles, scored four runs and had one RBI. Wheeler finished with four RBIs. Maguire also had an RBI single to go along with his home run.

Elm Grove received a double and a single from Brandon Brown. Kasey Cassi also had a double, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

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