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Wheeling Park Softball Is State Bound

Wright homers in regional victory over Morgantown

Photo by Cody Tomer Wheeling Park’s Shea Wright rounds third and is congratulated by third base coach Mike Mathieu after belting a home run during Thursday’s regional championship at Ben’s Field at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex.

WHEELING — With a berth in the West Virginia state softball tournament on the line in Game 3 of the regional series, Wheeling Park relied on a bloop, a blast and getting outs in key situations as the difference makers Thursday afternoon against Morgantown.

Lauren Fox’s two-run bloop single in the bottom of the first and Shea Wright’s solo home run in the fifth were enough offense while Ashley Linder and Kacy Long did it in the circle and the Patriots’ defense came up flawless in a cherished 4-2 victory over the Mohigans in the Region One championship game on Ben’s Field at the J.B. Chamber’s I-470 Sports Complex.

With the win Coach Pat Durkin’s red, white-and blue clad squad improve to 13-11 on the season and will take on the Region 4 champion on Wednesday morning in Vienna. It will be Park’s first trip in three years, since this year’s seniors were mere freshmen.

“I am very happy for this group of seniors who will be making their first trip to the state tournament since they were freshman,” Durkin said with a huge smile.

“We may have more losses than any team heading there but we have lost a lot of one-run games and the goal was to still be playing in later in May and we are going to be doing that.”

On the other side 20-year veteran Head Coach Lorrie Lipscomb’s 17-10 record Morgantown team was cut down one win short of advancing to the school’s first state softball tournament appearance.

However, it wasn’t because the Mohigans didn’t have chances. The visitors out-hit the Patriots by a 9-6 margin but left nine runners on base, including four in scoring position. That included leaving the bases loaded without scoring a run in the top of the fifth.

“I am disappointed with the loss, but this is two good teams and somebody has to win while somebody loses,” Lipscomb admitted. “And we had plenty of opportunities to be on the other side of this.

“The difference was they got a couple of timely hits and we just couldn’t string enough of them together.”

Wheeling Park got all the runs it needed in the home-half of the first when Izzy Miller drew a one-out walk, the only free pass losing pitcher Grace Haines issued all day, and Kieran Johnson followed with a single. Linder, who picked up the win in the circle, singled home a run with Johnson advancing to third.

After Linder took second and Haines got a huge strikeout for the second out, Fox hit a fly ball to short right-center that dropped in between the second baseman and center and right fielders with Johnson and Linder both crossing the plate for a 3-0 reading.

“That hit dropping in was a big one for Lauren (Fox) and well deserved for a great kid,” Durkin said.

Morgantown dented the scoreboard in the third when Joselyn McCartney singled with two outs and Breeanna Marietta doubled off the chalk deep down the right field line to cut the deficit to 3-1.

It looked like the Mohigans were going to make things interesting in the fifth when McCartney reached on a one-out bunt single before Linder got a huge out when Marietta flew out to center. However, McKenzie followed with a base hit and when Brooke Pyles reached on a fielder’s choice Morgantown had the sacks juiced with two away.

Fortunately for the Patriots Linder recorded her second, and final, strikeout of the afternoon to end the threat.

The Patriots got a little insurance in the bottom half of the inning when Wright took a one-out pitch deep over the left field fence to increase the margin to 4-1 with Park needing just six more outs. It was the Patriots’ first hit since the second inning.

Things didn’t come easy early on in the top of the six for the hosts when Haines worked a free pass to start the frame and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Courtesy runner Maris Anthony crossed the plate when No. 9 hitter Emma Phares ripped a double to deep center that cut the deficit to 4-2.

That was it for Linder as Durkin turned to senior Long to end the threat and finish things off and she did not disappoint. Upon entering Long fanned the No. 1 and 2 hitters to end the threat in the sixth.

Long then struck out the No. 3 and 4 hitters in Marietta and McKenzie before getting Pyles to fly out to right field to end the contest and begin the celebration.

“Ashley Linder pitched a great game two and we couldn’t pull it out for her and she was outstanding again (Thursday),” Durkin added. “And Kacy Long is a great senior to have on the team. She has been so patient pitching behind Ashley. I keep asking her all the time if she is ready and she told me she was (Thursday) and seemed confident.

“Kacy came in and was just over-powering. And I am just so proud of how she came in and took care of their one through five hitters. They have some very good hitters at the top of the order and she mowed them down.

“It was also a very clean defensive game for us and that is what beat us down there in game two.”

For Lipscomb and her Mohigans it was no mystery about what happened, but they will still have to wait at least another year for that first trip to the state tournament.

“You have to get runners home when you get them on base and we just didn’t do a very good job of that,” Lipscomb added. “That bloop single really hurt us in the first inning also.

“But Wheeling Park is a very well coached team and I enjoy our games with them. At this point of the season anything can happen and we just didn’t get it done.”

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