NEW MANCHESTER - The Magnolia baseball team scored the first six runs of the game en route to a 6-2 victory over Oak Glen in a West Virginia Region 1 Semifinal Monday at the Field of Dreams Complex.
With the loss, the Golden Bears end their season at 17-12. Magnolia also ended Oak Glen's season last year in the regional semifinals.
The game also marks the end of the coaching career of Oak Glen head coach Lou Nagy. Nagy announced his retirement after the game.
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HERE’S?THE?PITCH — Oak Glen pitcher Steven Barr delivers a pitch during the Golden Bears 6-2 West Virginia Class AA Region 1 semifinal loss to Magnolia Monday at the Field of Dreams Complex. - Aaron Petchal
"I've been coaching baseball for 40 years," Nagy said. "That is enough."
With the win, Magnolia has advanced to the Region 1 Final at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
"We beat a very-good team," Magnolia head coach Dave Cisar said. "Oak Glen has been good all year. They took it two us pretty good twice this year."
Kyle Elliott collected the win for the Blue Eagles. He struck out two, walked four and he allowed two runs on two hits. One of the runs was unearned.
"We had a shot early," Nagy said. "We just couldn't get any runs across. We couldn't get that clutch hit. Their pitcher pitched a heck of a game. He got stronger as the game went on."
Offensively, the Blue Eagles belted eight hits, and three of the hits went for extra bases.
Zack Wilhoit tallied a single and a two-run home run, Elliott tallied a double and a triple and Tanner Hanna added two singles and two RBI. Also, Chandler Sapp and Jason Keller recorded singles.
Steven Barr took the loss for the Golden Bears. Barr struck out five, walked two and he allowed four runs on four hits in 4.1 innings of work. Tyler Steed relieved Barr in the fifth, and Steed pitched the rest of the way. Steed struck out two, walked one and he allowed two runs on three hits.
Though Oak Glen hit the ball hard all game long, the Golden Bears only had two hits to show for it. The majority of the hard-hit balls found their way into the gloves of the Blue Eagle fielders.
Steed delivered a two-run single, and Tanner Crago recorded a base hit.
"We played very, very well in the field," Cisar said.
The game was scoreless through the first three innings. Then in the top of the fourth, Wilhoit launched his home run over the fence in left field giving the Blue Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Magnolia added to its lead with four more runs in the fifth.
"We got some timely hits," Cisar said.
The Golden Bears scored both of their runs on Steed's single in the bottom of the sixth. Elliott shut the door on Oak Glen from that point.
Oak Glen's seven seniors were Steve Murray, Kole Koper, Jeff Hissam, Brandon Englehart, Brandon Markham, Crago and Barr.
"The boys had a great season," Nagy said. "I'm proud of them."
While the Golden Bears were a veteran team, the Blue Eagles are a young team.
"You have to remember we are a team with just two seniors," Cisar said. "We are dominated by underclassmen. We had three sophomores out on the field today."
