Park Turning Hot Start Into Scorching Season After 13-3 Win Over Monarchs
Wheeling Park’s Kolten Whitmire throws a pitch during the Patriots’ home game Wednesday against John Marshall. Whitmire struck out eight and drove in two runs in a 13-3 victory for Wheeling Park.
Nick Henthorn
Wheeling Park’s Kolten Whitmire throws a pitch during the Patriots’ home game Wednesday against John Marshall. Whitmire struck out eight and drove in two runs in a 13-3 victory for Wheeling Park.
Nick Henthorn
WHEELING - Wheeling Park's hot start to their season can now, roughly one-third of the way through the season, no longer just be called a 'start.'
The Patriots, recently ranked third in Class AAAA statewide polls, moved to 10-1 with another impressive outing, a 13-3 five-inning victory over rival John Marshall on Wednesday.
It was the fifth time in 11 outings that Wheeling Park had scored double-digit runs, the Patriots getting six multi-hit performances and having seven different players drive in runners.
"A good group of seniors," Park head coach Steve Myers said, when asked about the reasons behind his team's play this year. "I think they lead the way. They're a player-led team, we have some good captains. Our captains all hit the ball today, they kind of set the tone.
"We picked each other up and we made good adjustments at the plate today. We had some really good at-bats, guys were able to adjust quickly."
Two of the most prominent bats for Wheeling Park on Wednesday came in the heart of their order, with three-hole Nate Simon going 3-3 with two doubles and two RBI, and four-hole Ryland Robb going 3-4 with a double and two RBI, including the walk-off hit to cut the game short in the bottom of the fifth.
"I was seeing the ball," Simon said. "I've been struggling a little bit lately so I've been scooting around in the box a little bit, trying to figure stuff out. Today it clicked."
Park got contributions from across their roster- pinch-runner Coldin Burkhart scored twice, and every batter got a hit, save for pitcher Kolten Whitmire, who still managed to drive in two runs and throw the complete game on the mound, striking out eight and picking up the win.
"We're hitting the ball all the way through the order- seven, eight, nine seem to always be having good games, they keep the lineup moving," Myers said. "Very interchangeable parts, I think, in the lineup. These guys can't wait to get to the ballfield and play for each other."
"We all really like each other and we play team baseball," Simon said. "If we keep doing that we're going to succeed."
It was one big inning that put distance between the Patriots and Monarchs on Wednesday. Park scored six runs in the bottom of the second, going into the frame down 2-1 after John Marshall's Hayden Hughes hit a two-run single in the top of the inning.
John Marshall committed two errors in the inning, and had a couple missed opportunities that did not go into the scoresheet.
"I don't know if we weren't ready to play today, but mentally we made some mistakes," John Marshall head coach Mark Cisar said. "Had a ball back to the pitcher, should've been a double play, and then the next ball we're probably out of the inning and it's 2-1 still. We don't get that and next thing you know instead of us being up 2-1 we're down 7-2."
Hughes finished with two hits for John Marshall. Kain Ankrom notched a double.
Either team left five on-base.
"Whitmire threw the ball well," Cisar said. "We had our chances there early, had the bases loaded the first inning. Had a couple guys on the next inning again. Just mentally, I don't think we were ready to play today."
The Patriots and Monarchs are scheduled to play again on April 28 at John Marshall.