MORGANTOWN – The Clay-Battelle and Trinity Christian baseball teams produced another instant classic this season to kick off the 2025 Mon County Classic at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Friday afternoon.
For the second time this season, the Cee-Bees defeated the Warriors in a one-run game, winning the most recent contest 3-2 in extra innings.
“Once we settled down on the mound and worked ahead in the counts, we gave ourselves a chance,” C-B head coach John Coombs said. “We had some small-ball plays where we were able to move guys over, but we also had a lot of opportunities to score with the top of our lineup to bat and didn’t take advantage.”
With the game tied at two in the bottom of the eighth inning, Clay-Battelle’s Ryan Parker scored on a passed ball, ending the game as a Cee-Bee victory.
“At the end of the day, we just got beat,” TCS head coach Wes Hopkins said. “I don’t think either coach could’ve asked our pitchers to do more than they did today. We needed more run support to go along with our pitching and defense today. We’ve had an emotional week and are down a starter, but our team is full of heart and will bounce back.”
The Warriors struck first in the top half of the opening inning as Bryson Sanders hit a two-run triple that rolled to the wall to put his team ahead 2-0 early.
Clay-Battelle hit back in the bottom of the first on a single by Austyn Foley that brought Cameron Mercer home to score from second, cutting the lead to 2-1.
C-B starter Kooper Statler struck out the side in the second, but Warriors starter Sam Fulk earned outs in three consecutive batters to keep the frame empty for both sides.
The score remained the same through the third as neither Statler nor Fulk allowed a baserunner in the inning. But that changed in the top of the fourth as the Cee-Bees found offense through Cayden Strosnider. He sent a laser to left field that rolled to the wall for a triple, scoring Ryan Parker, who reached first with a walk, tying the game at two.
Both teams threatened in the fifth inning with a pair of baserunners, but both teams buckled down defensively to keep the frame empty. Statler earned a big strikeout for the Cee-Bees, and TCS second-baseman Noah Toler made an over-the-shoulder catch to end the fifth.
Statler struck out the side in the top of the sixth (his second inning doing so) to keep the game knotted at two runs. Then he started the offense in the bottom half with a single to center field. Statler moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Danser and Strosnider was hit by a pitch to put two runners on for C-B.
However, the Warriors closed the door with an inning-ending double play to end the C-B threat and keep the game square.
Mercer entered the game for Statler to begin the seventh and opened by walking the first batter he faced. But Mercer produced a ground out, and a pop fly, and Austyn Foley caught Nate Adams attempting to steal second to send the Cee-Bees to bat at the bottom of the seventh inning.
Clay-Battelle put a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, but the Warriors produced another inning-ending double play to send the game into extra innings.
Mercer walked two batters to give TCS two runners on base but C-B followed with three outs to end the threat in the eighth.
C-B loaded the bases, and with two outs, Parker got out to a good jump from third after a pitch got away and rolled to the backstop. He touched home to end the game and give his team a one-run victory in extra innings.
“We have shown the fight we have in most games,” Coombs said. “We know that we can play ball and what we are truly capable of.”
BOX SCORE
Clay-Battelle 3, Trinity Christian 2
TCS 200 000 00 – 2 4 0
C-B 100 100 01 – 3 8 0
Trinity Christian (6-6) – Adams 3120 Hutson 3000 Hopkins 3110 Sanders 2012 Fulk 3000 Hartley 4000 Toler 3000 Citerone 3000 Baker 2000
3B: Sanders
Clay-Battelle (6-3) – Mercer 4120 Bane 3010 Foley 4021 Parker 2200 Statler 3020 Danser 3000 Strosnider 2011 Summers 3000 Coen 3000
3B: Strosnider
(W) Statler: 6.0ip 4h 2r 4bb 10k
(L) Fulk: 6.1ip 6h 2r 2bb 8k
