MORGANTOWN — James Bryner certainly picked a good time to have his best pitching outing of the 2025 baseball season.
The University High junior righthander struck out 11 Preston High School hitters as the Hawks (17-13) beat the Knight 10-0 in a five-inning mercy-rule shortened contest. With the win, UHS advances to face Morgantown High School in the Class AAAA Region 1 Final while Preston sees its season end.
“I felt like everything was working in my favor,” Bryner, who picked up the complete-game shutout victory, said. “I had a lot of run support, I felt really comfortable, and I didn’t really have to worry about anything.”
UHS grabbed an early 6-0 lead in the first inning as they ambushed Preston with five hits in the opening frame after Bryner surrendered a two-out single in the top half of the inning.
Max Cash got the scoring started for UHS as he hit a bases-loaded infield single. Curtis Quarrick followed with a perfectly placed bunt to score another run and Brock Shuba hit a two-run double to center and Colson Jenkins added an RBI triple in the frame.
After grabbing the big lead, the Hawks turned the game over to Bryner who was dominant. He allowed two baserunners in the second inning and then faced the minimum 11 hitters the rest of the way including picking off one PHS runner in the third inning.
“I expect this every time he steps on the field,” UHS head coach Travis Renner said. “Knowing what he did for this team last year, statistically, we know he has that ability. He has had some great outings for us this year, and it seems like when he gets that fourth inning, he starts to wear down. We made some adjustments for him in his pregame and we also had a conversation with him around the end of the third and we were able to settle him down and keep him under control and keep him throwing strikes.”
Bryner surrendered just two hits in the game with no walks and the 11 strikeouts.
Preston (8-11-1) and head coach Glen McNew see their season end after the young Knights made some strides on the field.
“I think we have to figure out a way, and if somebody could tell me how to do this, I’d give them a lot of money,” McNew said. “But we have got to get over that Morgantown hump. I think we have a little bit of a mental block when we play Morgantown teams. We spend a lot of years being competitive with them and then when it comes to this bigger environment, we just haven’t performed.”
Preston lost eight one-run games this season on a team that featured five sophomores and one freshman in the starting lineup.
UHS scored two more runs in the fourth when Brance McCune singled home Barrett Shuba, who had three hits including a double and a triple, and then McCune scored on a single off the bat of Tommy Montague.
The Hawks added the final two game-winning runs in the fifth when Barrett Shuba hit an RBI triple and McCune, who finished with three hits, closed the scoring with an RBI single.
— Story by Eric Herter
Box score
PHS 000 00 – 0 2 1
UHS 600 22 – 10 12 2
PHS – Manko 2 0 0 0, Lowe 2 0 0 0, McNew 2 0 1 0, Moats 2 0 0 0, Thomas 2 0 0 0, Oliphant 2 0 0 0, Peaslee 2 0 1 0, Moyer 1 0 0 0, Haymond 1 0 0 0, Thaler 2 0 0 0. Totals: 18 0 2 0.
UHS – Ba. Shuba 4 3 3 1, McCune 3 2 3 2, Grabo 3 0 0 0, Montague 2 1 1 0, Cash 2 1 1 2, Quarrick 3 1 1 1, Br. Shuba 3 1 1 3, Jenkins 1 0 1 1 2, Metheney 3 0 0 0. Totals: 24 10 11 10.
2B – PHS: Peaslee. UHS: Ba. Shuba. 3B – UHS: Ba. Shuba, Br. Shuba, Jenkins.
WP – Bryner 5ip, 2h, 0r 0 er 0bb 11k. LP – McVicke 1ip, 6h, 6r, 6er, 2bb 0k.
