photo by: Kim North

Maynard’s Cole Micker (11) is forced out at home plate by Barton catcher Ben Wach during Monday night’s Ohio Valley Baseball League game on Firemen’s Field inside the Maynard Community Park. Looking on is home plate umpire Mark Cisar.

MAYNARD – Barton moved a step closer to clinching the regular-season title Monday night and, in the process, completed a regular-season sweep of long-time Belmont County rival Maynard.

The Braves (10-3) only managed five singles but took advantage of what the Indians (7-6) gave them in a 7-4 decision on the sun-soaked Firemen’s Field inside the Community Park in front of a nice-sized turnout.

“Maynard is a good team and I respect those guys a whole lot,” veteran Barton manager Billy Timko said. “You’ve got to be on your toes for seven innings when you play them.”

Maynard pitching walked six batters and hit three, including Barton leadoff batter Kobe Hill who was plunked twice and drew two free passes. The Indians also committed three errors.

“We’re not hitting consistently this year, but now we’ve seen Hoffman twice this summer, so I think my guys will be ready when we see him again,” Maynard player-manager David Vicker said.

Hill scored twice as the Braves plated three runs in the third and four more in the fifth.

“We put the bat on the ball and we had some smart base running tonight,” Timko added. “We’re ready to go. We’re starting to play better and better.”

Colten Coss and Dom Gorence both collected run-scoring singles with two outs to spark the three-run third. The third tally scored on an error.

Maynard, which won OVBL championships in 2021-2023, had a golden scoring opportunity in the bottom of the third, but couldn’t come up with a clutch hit. The Indians loaded the bases with one out, but a bouncer to third resulted in a force at home and a flyout ended the threat.

After Maynard left two on in the fourth, Barton broke the game open with four runs in the fifth on just one base hit – that being a two-run single off the bat of Aaron Marovich who entered the game after Nolan Blackburn suffered a hand injury in the second frame. Nate Silvus drew a bases-loaded walk and Gorence’s fly out to left-center was deep enough to plate another run.

Maynard stayed alive with two runs in the sixth as an error allowed one run to score. Vicker’s seeing-eye grounder through the left side produced another tally, making it 7-4.

However, Barton reliever Jake Winland struck out five of the eight batters he faced, including the side in the ninth with two runners on.

“Jake did a nice job in relief,” Timko said. “He knew he was the next pitcher we were going to use, so he was ready.”

Hunter Hoffman earned his second win over Maynard this season. The Walsh University sophomore-to-be struck out six, walked two and scattered seven hits in six-plus innings of work. He threw 86 pitches, of which 54 were strikes.

Timko said Hoffman informed him that his arm was starting to hurt, so that’s when he went to left field when Winland entered. “If I knew his arm was that sore I wouldn’t have put him in the outfield.”

Lex Wilhelm tripled in a run for Maynard, while Hunter Westlake had a sacrifice fly. Eric Banal singled twice and doubled and Mitch Viakley singled twice as the Indians managed nine hits.

Andy Bailer, making his first OVBL start, suffered the loss. He went four innings, striking out four, walking two and yielding a pair of singles. He threw 59 pitches, with 36 being strikes.

“Andy pitched well,” Vicker said of the recent Wheeling Central grad and member of the W.Va. Class AA state champions. “He went as far as he could. He hadn’t pitched much.”

Barton is in the midst of a busy week as it hosts defending champion Wheeling Tuesday and Weirton on Wednesday on Henning Field inside Pramesa Park in Crescent. The Braves head to Weirton on Friday to meet the A’s at Edwin J. Bowman Field. Maynard, meanwhile, welcomes Wheeling on Wednesday.