KEYSER, W. Va. — Quintin Smith drove in three runs with a home run and a double and Caleb Taylor went 3-for-4 to lead Morgantown Post 2 to the semifinals of the state tournament with an 18-8 victory against Wheeling on Friday.
Two days after winning on a walk-off single by Ethan Smith in the 10th inning to beat Elkins, Morgantown (31-7) needed just seven-and-a-half innings to force the 10-run mercy rule.
Post 2 will face Wheeling again at 10 a.m. today in the semifinals, after Wheeling survived an elimination game with a 7-6 victory against South Charleston.
Morgantown did the majority of its damage in the second inning, scoring nine runs to take a 10-1 lead.
That would be all starting pitcher Casey Smith needed, as he allowed just one hit and two runs over three innings. He was pulled after three to save his innings. He struck out four and walked one in earning the win.
Charlie Petty and Evan Smith split the final five innings in relief, with Evan Smith pitching two scoreless innings while allowing one hit.
Colton Matthews added two hits and drove in two runs. Over the first two state tournament games, Matthews is 5-for-11 with four RBIs.
Clay Maholic added four hits and Devon Neal drove in two runs and had a triple.
