Post 1 10-0’s Potomac Valley In First Round Of State Tournament
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BECKLEY -- Wheeling Post 1 had a long trek down to Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, W.Va., but after they arrived, Post 1 kept firing on all cylinders.
In Wheeling's first foray into the 2026 American Legion W.Va. State Tournament, Post 1 soundly defeated Potomac Valley 64, 10-0, in six innings, behind big days at the plate and on the mound from Brady Ernest and Jake Brown.
Both Ernest and Brown had two hits and two RBI on the attack, and both combined for the shutout on the mound.
Brown earned the start and the win for Post 1, pitching four innings and allowing two hits and one walk, striking out five. Ernest pitched the final two frames, allowing one hit and issuing one walk.
Ernest doubled, one of two extra-base hits for Wheeling. Brody Groome also doubled as part of his own two-hit day.
Nolan Yanchak and Chris Upton also each tallied two hits as Post 1 teed off vs. Post 64, totaling a dozen hits as a team.
Ernest and Dom Fato each collected RBI in the first inning as Post 1 got off to a 2-0 first-inning lead vs. Potomac Valley starter Carson Durst.
After two scoreless frames in the second and third innings, Post 1 got back on the board with two runs in the fourth inning, four runs in the fifth inning, and two more in the bottom of the sixth inning to bring the game to a premature end.
Wheeling advances into the winner's bracket while Potomac Valley falls into the loser's bracket in the double-elimination tournament. Both teams are set to play on Friday. The State Tournament will continue on until the championship game on Monday.
Wheeling Post 1 are the defending back-to-back state champions.