WEIRTON - The Moundsville Post 3 Legion baseball team jumped on homestanding Weirton Post 10 early and then weathered a late rally to claim a 9-7 win Friday.
"They didn't have any focus today," said Moundsville head coach Bill Burkett of his team despite the win. "They need to stay right at it. They need to hit the ball. We had the bases loaded three times and couldn't score."
Moundsville looked to have an easy night after scoring three runs in the second and four more in the third to claim a 7-0 lead.
Article Photos
MAKING IT COUNT — Weirton’s Mitch Viakley heads to first after a single that scored teammates Cody Harmon and Matt Cessna (rounding third) during the sixth inning of Friday’s 9-7 loss to Moundsville Post 3 at Bowman Field.
-- Fred Younce
"We just kind of sat back and didn't go after them," said Weirton head coach Bill Magnone. "Moundsville came out strong and we weren't with it in the first few innings.
"Like always, they didn't give up. I just wish they'd start like that in the beginning."
In the second, Todd Schmidt drew a walk, reached second on a wild pitch, and was sent home on a Shane Wellman double. Phil Smith plated Wellman with a single and later scored when Mark Walker reached on an error to make the score 3-0.
Fact Box
Moundsville 9, Weirton 7
Moundsville 034 011 0 - 9 11 1
Weirton 000 106 0 - 7 11 1
MOUNDSVILLE: Lucas (WP, 5K, 1BB), Scmidt (6th, 0K, 0BB), Wellman (6th, 1K, 1BB) and Walker. Henderson s; Lucas s, 2r; Mirandy s, r; Schmidt 2d, 2rbi, 3r; Hanna s, rbi, r; Welman d, 2rbi, r; Koontz s, rbi; Smith 3s, 2rbi, r.
WEIRTON: Fuscardo (LP, 5K, 1BB), Barr (5th, 0K, 3BB), Perna (6th, 0K, 0BB) and Harmon. Russell 2s, rbi; Shaw s, 2r; Smith d, s, 2rbi, r; Harmon s, r; Cessna s, d, rbi, r; Viakley 3s, 2rbi, r; Barr d, rbi, r.
The third frame saw Jake Lucas and John Mirandy hit back-to-back singles followed by a Schmidt two-run double to make the score 5-0. Tanner Hanna drove in Schmidt with a single and was later knocked home by Smith's second run-scoring single. At that point Post 3 had a commanding 7-0 lead.
Post 10 picked up its first run in the bottom of the fourth when Tre Smith laced a double to send home John Shaw, who had reached on a fielder's choice.
Post 3 picked up a run in the fifth and sixth innings for a 9-1 lead.
Schmidt led of the fifth with a double and three batters later was brought home on a Wylie Koontz single. Lucas scored in the sixth when Wellman was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Then things got interesting in the bottom of the sixth.
"They laid down," Burkett said of his team's performance late in the game. "They weren't in any hurry and they thought they had the thing won.
"That's the way these kids are. Instead of keep going and everything else they stopped playing against a good team from our area tournament. We have to start going now."
Shaw opened things with a single and scored on a Smith single. After Cody Harmon singled Cessna drove in Smith with a double that put Harmon on third. The next batter, Mitch Viakley, drove home both Cessna and Harmon with a single of his own. Steven Barr cracked a double for the frame's sixth straight hit and its fifth run as Viakley crossed. Barr scored two batters later on a Josh Russell single to pull Weirton within two at 9-7.
Post 10 put two men on in the bottom of the seventh after Cessna's two-out walk preceded a Viakley single. Unfortunately for Weirton that's where the rally ended as Barr then flew out to center to close out the 9-7 Moundsville win.
"Anytime you let a good team like Moundsville jump out on you like that it's even harder to come back," said Magnone. "Our pitchers have to lessen walks, we have to cut down on a few errors, and start hitting the ball a little earlier.
"I just know we have to come out from the beginning."
Weirton takes to the field again Wednesday when it travels to Richmond.
