Wheeling Post 1 Picks Up Another State Tournament Win
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BECKLEY -- In a matchup of two of the three Class AA first-team all-state pitchers and future Division I hurlers, Wheeling Post 1’s Steven Brodegard received one inning of support more than did Kadyn Hines. The way he was dealing, it was more than enough as Wheeling defeated the Beckley Bash Post 32 3-0 in a winners bracket game of the American Legion State Tournament at AccessHealth Field at Linda K. Epling Stadium.
Add that Brodegard was dialed in and the Bash was held in check. The big righty went the distance, giving up just one hit with no walks and 10 strikeouts. The recent Wheeling Central graduate who has signed with Mercyhurst, threw 85 pitches, 65 for strikes.
"I just got done telling Steve that this is my 15th year coaching baseball here and that was one of the best performances I've seen in the last 15 years of doing this," Post 1 coach Scott Casto said. "Outstanding start by him. Tremendous competitor. Every time we throw him out there on the mound, we knew in confidence that we're going to get a good outing out of him. He's a mature baseball player, a college guy who is going to do great things.”
"We looked on time, I think it was the third or fourth inning, and he only had 13 balls pitched," Bash coach Jordan Meadows said. "He was filling up the zone, he was throwing hard, it's what you want. The dude was filthy tonight, and we didn't hit."
The Bash has just six hits in two tournament games. Brodegard said he stuck to the game plan.
"Beckley has a few D1 guys, and a lot of D2 commits on the team," Brodegard said. "The game plan was to keep the ball low, let them hit and yeah, just throw strikes," he said. "I knew I had a field behind me. I felt better than usual. I was a little worried staying in a hotel last night, I didn't get a real good sleep. It's not like I'm in my own bed.”
Hines, a WVU commit, only went 2 1/3 innings but had pitched aside for the 1/3 of the third when he gave up three. He finished giving up just three hits (in that 1/3 of an inning) and three earned runs with two walks and three strikeouts.
Drew Gallaher pitched the final 3 2/3 and continued the pitchers duel, allowing just one hit with two walks and two strikeouts. Wheeling Post 1 did all the damage it needed to do in the third, scoring three times, the big blow a two-run single by Jake Brown. But the inningwas set up by a couple of bunts, one with two strikes, that allowed Wheeling to get a base runner for Brown's big hit. Brady Ernest collected him with a single after Brown advanced to third on a passed ball.
Zach Hunt had the only hit for Beckley in the third. "Zach got a hit in the seven hole, so we were kind of like, 'All right, maybe we're coming around the second time through,'" Meadows said. "But nothing really changed. The guys' approaches weren't terrible, just a lot of swings and misses. That's two games in a row where we've been stymied. These guys are all college guys, all-state guys, they know what it takes to win. I told them backs to the wall, it's time to rock."
Brodegard admitted he was a bit more juiced going against Hines, the WVU recruit. His Central teammate Brayden Cover started against James Monroe and Hines in the state tournament last month, a game Central won 2-1. Brodegard did throw the final two innings with two strikeouts. Hines threw a two-hitter in going the distance with four walks and eight strikeouts in that game.
"I had WVU reach out to me a little bit when I first started my recruitment," Brodegard said. "I was just trying to prove myself to them that maybe they should give me a second look and maybe in the future (I'd) get to go up there."
And in true trivia question style, the third pitcher among that trio of first-team all-state pitchers was John Lowery Award winner Lansen Orndorf, who is playing in the American Legion State Tournament for the Potomac Valley Post 64 team based in Moorefield.