Photos by Seth Staskey Wheeling Park’s Luke Marsh swings away during Sunday’s George Kovalick OVAC All-Star Baseball Game.

TORONTO — If you’re a fan of offensive baseball then the Knight Baseball Complex was the place to be Sunday afternoon.

The annual George Kovalick OVAC All-Star Baseball Game brought out the offensive fireworks as Ohio and West Virginia combined for 26 runs, 30 hits and each team had one half inning in which it didn’t produce at least one baserunner.

In the end, the eight-run fourth that Team Ohio produced was simply too much for West Virginia to overcome in a 16-10 Buckeyes’ victory.

West Virginia took its first and only lead of the game in top of the fourth.

Wheeling Central product Michael Toepfer ripped a triple to the alley in left, driving in Linsly’s Brodie Selmon and Trinity’s Josiah Seffstall, who had both singled.

As Toepfer pulled into third, the throw skipped away, but Ohio was able to throw him out at the plate to end the inning.

The lead didn’t last long.

Ohio proceeded to send 14 of its 20 players to the plate in the bottom of the fourth.

Shadyside’s Mason VanNest, St. Clairsville’s Joey Balgo, Warren’s Caleb Davis all had RBI singles, while Monroe Central’s Collin Kroll, who had doubled home a run in the second, plated two more runs with a base hit.

West Virginia’s pitchers, when they weren’t giving up hits for RBIs, they also walked in a run, which gave Barnesville’s Gavin Carpenter a RBI and plunked in a run, which gave Shadyside’s Ryan Florence a RBI.

From there, West Virginia chipped away against Ohio, which used a different pitcher in each of the nine innings.

The Mountain State got as close as three in the top of the seventh with a run. Weir’s Jack Scopel singled home a run in the seventh, which followed a RBI single by another former Red Rider, Tyler Kelly, in the sixth.

However, following the seventh inning stretch, Ohio went back to work offensively. Beaver Local’s Avery Wiegand doubled and moved up 90 feet on a single from Toronto’s Evan Wolter.After an out was recorded, Steubenville Catholic’s Ryan Anderson drew a walk to load the bases.

Balgo promptly cleared the bases with a double to the fence in center.

West Virginia wasn’t quite done, however. It proceeded to answer Ohio with a three spot of its own in the eighth.

Toepfer had the big blow when he hit an inside-the-park home run to straight-away center. John Marshall’s Dillon Wright, who was plunked, moved all the way around on wild pitches to score. A couple of hitters later, Wheeling Park’s Michael Bittinger tripled home Madonna’s Matt Ameismeier, who had walked.

Ohio put to bed any hopes of a full-fledged Mountain state rally when it scored another trio of runs in the bottom of the eighth. Edison’s Ian McBane had a two-run single and Frontier’s J.D. Schmidt, who was winning pitcher in the game, also had a RBI.

In the ninth, Barnesville’s Kyvan Johnson sat West Virginia down in order by striking out the side.

Kroll was the only player in the game to have three hits.

OVAC NOTES

MARTINS FERRY head coach Anthony Reasbeck received the OVAC Baseball Coach of the Year Award, which is chosen among all classes. It’s the second straight season that the Purple Riders’ skipper has received the award.

THE OVAC Players of the Year were recognized. They were Cameron’s Coy Angel (1A), Shadyside’s Mason VanNest (2A), Martins Ferry’s Colby Shriver (3A), Harrison Central’s Treston Nemeth (4A) and University’s Aaron Forbes (5A).

TWO COACHES — Indian Creek’s Mike Cottis and Harrison Central’s Mike Valesko — received a special plaque for achieving career milestones during the course of the season. Cottis picked up his 300th career win, while Valesko surpassed the 100-win plateau.