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Moundsville Post 3 tops Ohio Valley Mountaineers for first win in Beast of the East

WHEELING — Winless no more.

Moundsville Post 3 finally broke through in the win column this summer, notching their first victory, 9-2, over the Ohio Valley Mountaineers during day two of the 34th Edgar Martin Beast of the East Classic.

Playing in their second game at Patterson Field Friday morning, Post 3 relied on veterans and youngsters alike in their first winning effort.

“It feels good,” a jubilant Tim Koontz, Post 3’s coach, said after the game. “We just needed to get a break and it was a full team effort.”

John Marshall grads Luke Cramer and Grant Neiswonger stepped up as two of the older players on the team and really got the ball rolling Friday.

Cramer pitched a complete game, allowing just two runs while striking out five, while also driving in two runs at the plate. Neiswonger reached base three times and supplied a go-ahead, two-run double in the bottom of the third.

It was the Mountaineers, an area travel ball team, who struck first, however. In the top of the third inning, Carson Kuhns singled home Joe Green and Ethan Cook singled home Lex Wilhelm to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead.

Finding themselves in a hole like they have so many times this season, Post 3 showed its resilience and responded in the bottom of the frame. A single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Cramer, who hit an RBI groundout to second base. Neiswonger followed with a two-run double to the left-center field gap that put Post 3 ahead for good.

The Mountaineers loaded the bases in the top of the fourth, but Cramer struck out their clean-up hitter to get out of the jam.

“Luke pitched a hell of a game,” Koontz said. “I thought he was in trouble a couple of times and he just worked his way through it.”

The Mountaineers left eight runners on base in the first four innings.

“Today we couldn’t do anything right,” Mountaineers coach Ron Green said. “When you leave eight guys on base in the first four innings you doom yourself. We are not doing the little things that win ballgames, that’s what we’re missing right now.”

Post 3 added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth on RBI singles by Jacob Harr and Nate Bernhalter to go up 5-2.

Grant Swift led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo home run to left field and Post 3 took advantage of three Mountaineer errors to put three more runs on the board and go up 9-2.

Cramer allowed just one hit across the final four innings as he silenced the Mountaineers’ bats.

“He was just throwing strikes,” Green said. “Luke’s a good pitcher and he was just throwing strikes. He did his job, you need a lot of guys on your team to do their jobs and Luke started it for them.”

Harr had three singles, scored three runs and had an RBI from the lead-off spot for Post 3. Neiswonger had a single, double and two RBI and Cramer had two RBI despite going hitless.

Joe Green pitched the full game for the Mountaineers, allowing nine runs in six innings as his defense committed seven errors behind him. He struck out five and walked three. Kuhns and Cook both finished with two singles and an RBI. Kuhns reached base all four times, also drawing two walks.

The Mountaineers won their second game of the day 11-7 over the Ontario Giants. Wilhelm got the win on the mound while striking out seven and also hit two triples at the plate.

Post 3 will wrap up pool play with games against the TCT Kings and Ontario Giants at Patterson today at 3:30 and 6 p.m. The OV Mountaineers will play the Sudbury Voyagers and Jefferson County Post 33 at Edison at 3:30 and 6 p.m.

Moundsville Post 3 9, OV Mountaineers 2

OVM 0-0-2 0-0-0 0 — 2 7 7

Post 3 0-0-3 2-0-4 x — 9 7 0

MOUNTAINEERS — J. Green lp (5K, 3BB) and McCardale. Kuhns 2S, rbi; Cook 2S, rbi.

MOUNDSVILLE — Cramer wp (5K, 5BB) and Harrison. Harr 3S, rbi; Bernhalter S, rbi; Cramer 2rbi; Neiswonger S, D, 2rbi; Swift HR, rbi.

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