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MOUNDSVILLE -- Jake Brown hit two home runs and drove in five total runs in a Thursday outing between Wheeling Post 1 and Moundsville Post 3 that, by game's end, turned into a scoring spree.
Post 1 held on for a 10-6 victory on the road, moving to 20-4 on the season, while Moundsville dropped to 8-15.
Brown belted a three-run home run in the fourth inning over the left-field fence, and hit a solo shot over the left-center wall in the sixth inning. He also collected an RBI double in the second inning.
"They were both fastballs," Brown said of his pair of homers. "To be honest, yeah, I knew they were gone off the bat. I mean, seeing the ball well today, just trying to get the barrel to it and see what happens."
Brown's first four RBI helped Post 1 build an 8-1 lead heading into the fifth inning, but Post 3 posted three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to tighten Thursday's outing.
Hayden Hughes doubled and drove in two to pace Moundsville at the plate. He also pitched the final 3.2 frames, surrendering two runs on four hits. He struck out three.
"We play Wheeling all the time, and it’s always a close game," Moundsville Post 3 head coach Tyler Hughes said. "That’s a loaded team over there, so we know we have to come out and battle them every time we play. But we just made too many mistakes, a couple errors here or there, and that was the difference."
Erik Blazier earned the win on the mound for Post 1, pitching 2.2 innings and letting across one unearned run. He struck out three.
Blazier celebrated his birthday Thursday. Pitching for Post 1 has become a birthday tradition for the Wheeling Park Patriot.
"Last year I actually pitched on my birthday too," Blazier said. "Did really well on that outing as well. So I’m glad that I got to throw today, of course."
On a day where Post 1 totaled 14 hits, Brown collected three, while Chris Upton hit four singles and Aleks Zanieski totaled three hits including a double. Dom Fato tripled twice, and Brady Ernest singled and doubled.
Kayden Knapp and Andrew Murdock also worked on the mound for Post 1 on Thursday. Knapp struck out four in 2.1 innings, and Murdock struck out three in two frames.