photo by: Kim North

Moundsville Post 3 catcher Cain Martin awaits a throw as Wheeling’s Brady Ernest (21) slides across home plate safely during the fifth inning Thursday night in their American Legion baseball game on the artificial surface at Wheeling Park High School’s Patriot Field. Post 1 erupted for 10 unanswered runs for a 10-6 victory.

WHEELING – It’s been said more than once, it’s not how you start but how you finish.

Wheeling Post 1 (3-3) reached the .500 mark by scoring 10 unanswered runs Thursday night to defeat W.Va. Area One rival Moundsville Post 3, 10-6, on the artificial surface at Wheeling Park High School’s Patriot Field.

“I think we might come out here maybe, I don’t want to say taking this game for granted, but we just weren’t here for what the first couple of innings until we realized ‘hey, we’ve got to get going,” Post 1 manager Scott Castilow said. “I’m very proud of the way we bounced back but I’m as disappointed with how we started out.

“Hopefully, we’ll get that straightened out before too long.”

Moundsville (2-6) used the red-hot bat of Kayden Knapp and took advantage of a throwing error in building a 6-0 lead in the top of the third. Knapp, who started on the mound, tripled in two runs in the second inning with a drive off the wall in deep right. He and Jacob Cisar both scored on the aforementioned bad throw for a 4-0 margin.

Knapp added to the lead with a RBI double off the wall in left-center with two outs in the third. He would score on Hayden Gaiser’s ground-rule double to left.

Post 1 tallied twice in the bottom of the third when Braxton Billick drove in Jaxon Murray with a triple to right-center. Billick raced home on a Seth Cover groundout.

Murray opened the fifth with a single to left and Billick drew a walk that ended Knapp’s night on the hill. Tommy Clegg came on in relief and promptly served up an RBI single to Cover as Murray sped home. Billick scored on an errant pickoff attempt to make it 6-4 as Cover moved up to second. Jack Selmon then drew a walk and Rocco Digiandomenico laid down a perfect bunt to advance both runners. With two out, Donavan Jones grounded to short, but the throw to first was off the mark as Cover and Selmon crossed to tie the game. Brady Ernest dropped a single into shallow center and Jake Brown ripped a double down the line in left as Jones and Ernest scored for a 9-6 advantage.

“The wheels fell off,” Moundsville manager Tim Koontz said. “It happened a lot to John Marshall this year. We’ve got to have short memories and move on from this game.”

Selmon added an insurance run in the sixth when he drove in Billick with a fly ball to deep center.

Murray had two singles for Post 1 which hosts Shelby, N.C., at 11 a.m. Saturday before entertaining Lancaster, Ohio, at 4 p.m.

Mason Markonich singled three times for Moundsville, which visits Clarksburg tonight.

Henry Anderson earned the win in relief of starter Tucker Doty. The tandem combined for nine strikeouts and four walks, with Anderson fanning four and issuing a trio of free passes – all coming in the sixth when Post 3 loaded the bases with two outs, but he fanned the next batter to snuff out the threat.

The game ended on a fine defensive play by Digiandomenico at first. With one out and a runner on first, Clegg ripped a shot that the Post 1 first baseman snagged before tagging the bag. He then rifled a strike to Murray covering second who applied the game-ending tag.