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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Wheeling Park swept the Morgantown High Invitational Saturday, as the girls’ team reigned No. 1 with 126 points and the boys’ team, 124. The host Mohigans claimed runner-up for both teams with 120.5 and 113 points, respectively.
Jonna Butcher kicked off the field events with a win in the girls’ high jump at 1.47 meters. Morgan Ryan added a win in the girls’ pole vault, hitting 2.74 meters – well above second place finisher Candice Nelson (Spring Mills) at 2.59 meters.
University’s Sierra Lanham tacked on a win for the Hawks two events later in the girls’ long jump, clearing 5.33 meters.
In running events, Amelia Summers picked up Morgantown’s first win in the girls’ 3200-meter run, outpacing teammate Kennedy Young by 18 seconds at 11:54. Irene Riggs added two other wins for MHS in the 1600-meter (4:56) and 800-meter (2;18)
For relay events, Morgantown’s 4×800 team comprised of Madeline Gump, Marisa Fijewski, Anna Lester and Lea Hatcher picked up a win in 10:12
For the boys, University’s Jordan Thomas won the boys’ 3200 run easily, finishing well ahead of Morgantown’s Michael Hoefler at 9:42. Hoefler finished in 10:02. Preston Core gave MHS 10 points with a win in the 800-meter run at 1:58, the only individual win for MHS in running events.
The Mohigans (Charlie Nenebi, Maquis Mauney, John Michael Saldanha and Kirk Black) picked up a win in the 4×100 relay at 43.62, edging Jefferson’s A team at 43.87.
Tennis
Morgantown 5, Hurricane 2
VIENNA, W.Va. – The Morgantown boys’ tennis team maintained its perfect record in Game 1 of its tri match at the Vienna Community Park, as the Mohigans (13-0) defeated Hurricane, 5-2.
No. 2 Max Phillips-Hartley won his match by forfeit and No. 4 Bennett Hall defeated Blake Shamblin, 8-1, in their singles match. Both Ataes Aggarwal (No. 1) and Adien Aggarwal (No. 3) fell their matchups, 8-5.
Doubles action saw MHS sweep, breaking the 2-2 tie as Ataes Aggarwal and Hartley defeated Domerick Hoh and Curry Taylor, 8-5, Adien Aggarwal and Hall won the No. 2 match, 8-3, and Dake LaSala and Dong Liu won the No. 3 match, 8-0.
Baseball
Morgantown 9, Washington 8 (Game 1 of 3)
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Morgantown built a substantial lead over six innings in Saturday morning’s meeting with Washington, but the Patriots put up a strong seventh inning to knot the game at eight. With a chance to end things in the bottom of the frame and with one out, Caleb Nutter and Jacob Kennell strung together a double and single and Ryan Fluharty was walked to load the bases.
Tommy Wogan struck out Zach Owens on a 2-2 count to push the out count to two, but a wild pitch against Quincy Thornton allowed Nutter to charge in for the win.
Fluharty (3 for 4) and Caleb Cottle (1 for 1) led MHS at the plate, each logging two RBI in the win.
Gregory Eddy pitched six solid innings for the Mohigans, allowing four hits, two runs and one earned run. He struck out four and walked three. Brennan relieved Eddy, which is when WHS took advantage to secure five runs on three hits. Fluharty relieved Brennan after 1/3 of an inning, finishing out the seventh inning allowing the tying run.
Three Patriots took the mound in the loss, with Logan Link starting the first two innings, giving up two run. Zach Wick’s 3 1/3 innings saw MHS pick up four runs on five hits before Wogan stepped in to finish in 1 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, including a home run.
Softball
Morgantown 4, Hedgesville 0
Morgantown shut out Hedgesville 4-0 following Friday’s 1-run loss to Nitro.
The Mohigans got on the board early with three runs in the first inning on a bunt by Maris Anthony, triple by Breonna Marietta and score-on-error for Marietta.
Both teams were silent until Morgantown put its last run on the board in the fourth inning off a double line drive by Aubrey Nicholson.
Despite six errors, MHS managed to keep the Eagles off the board.
Grace Haines pitched all seven innings for MHS, allowing just two hits and logging six strikeouts.
Bre Clinton pitched six innings for Hedgesville, allowing four earned runs and striking out eight.
John Marshall 8, Morgantown 4
After defeating Hedgesville in grand fashion, the Mohigans fell victim to a 4-run loss of their own, losing to John Marshall, 8-4.
The Monarchs combined a 1-run and 5-run second and third inning, respectively, to build their early 6-0 lead against Morgantown. The Mohigans were held scoreless though the fourth inning as well, putting their first run on the board in the fifth. JM responded with two more runs in the sixth, MHS tacked on three in the bottom of the frame, and the Monarchs held MHS scoreless in the final inning to pull out the victory.
Unlike the first game of the day, MHS’s errors proved costly in Game 2, as JM reached six bases on error.
Ryleigh Morgan pitched 3 1/3 innings for JM, allowing just two hits and no runs while walking three. Tessa Wise stepped in seconds for 1 2/3 innings, giving MHS its four runs. Adrianna Skyrynki finished things off for JM, pitching the final two innings and allowing just one hit.
Lillian Kooser pitched four innings for Morgantown, giving up six runs and two walks while striking out three. Mikala Rogers relieved her for the last three innings, allowing two runs on two hits, two walks and struck out five.
Nitro 21, University 5
University and Nitro went back and forth through two innings, but the Wildcats exploded in third, fourth and fifth frames to overwhelm the Hawks, 21-5.
The Wildcats got on the board first when Carly Mathes pushed in Chloe Beckner on a single, followed by a Bella Savill double to bring in Mathes. Sydni Cawley ended the scoring run with a double of her own to bring in Savilla. With one out in the bottom of the frame, Autumn Stemple put UHS’s first runs on the board with a two RBI single but she would be left on base following two quick strikeouts.
Nitro strung together two triples by Kerigan Moore and Beckner and a home run by Mathes to push the lead further to 7-2, but two pop outs and a strikeout sent the Hawks back to the plate. The bottom of the frame opened with two fast outs for UHS, but two walks and a single by Lindsey Vorndran loaded the bases. Mathes walked three more batters to give the Hawks free runs, but she broke a 2-2 count to strikeout Alyssa Spadafore to end the inning.
After that, the bats came alive for the Wildcats who put up 14 runs in the final three innings, enacting the mercy rule at the end of the fifth inning.
Stemple led UHS at the plate, going 1 for 2 and logging two RBI in the loss.
Mathes led Nitro with a 3 for 4 performance and batting in six runners. Cawley, who had four RBI, went 3 for 4.
Lena Elkins was credited with the win after relieving Mathes in the circle, pitching 2 1/3 inning and allowing two hits. She struck out four and walked one. Mathes pitched for 1 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on three hits. She struck out two and walked seven.
Hannah Andrigo pitched all five innings for UHS and was credited with the loss. She had 21 hits and 16 earned runs against her. She struck out two and walked two.
JV baseball
University 11, Morgantown 5
Locked at five after the third inning, University strung together six runs in the final two innings to claim victory over its cross-county rival, 11-5.
Both teams opened the game with a run each, but the Hawks sent four runners over home plate in the bottom the second to jump out to a four-run lead.
Morgantown responded with four runs of their own in the top of the third, but UHS refused to continue trading runs, putting up three runs each in the fourth and fifth innings.
Levi Boyd pitched 2 1/3 innings, giving up no hits but allowing five runs off eight walks. Gabe Jansen relieved Boyd on the mound, finishing off MHS by allowing just two hits, no runs and striking out five.
Dawson Kennell pitched 2 innings for MHS, giving up five runs on six hits. Patrick Ryan stepped in for the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and runs, and not striking out any batter.
Morgantown 2, Hedgesville 1
Morgantown picked up the win over Hedgesville in walk-off fashion, as Talen Dalton singed on a 0-2 count in the bottom of the seventh.
Neither team was able to point a run on the board until the third inning when Gage Ganoe found home on a ground out to first. Morgantown responded in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own when Jeffrey Poach scored on a wild pitch after stealing third on another wild ball.
The Eagles and Mohigans stayed locked at one through the next three innings until Dalton’s walk-off hit.
Mason McDonald pitched for six innings for MHS, allowing five hits, one run and three walks, while striking out six. Reliever Hunter Dakan finished the game on the mound, allowing just one hit and one walk.
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