Bredeson sparks rally, MHS captures OVAC baseball title
CADIZ, Ohio — Just when it appeared Wheeling Park was headed for a third straight win over Morgantown this season, the Mohigans pulled a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Jackson Bredeson's bases-loaded double with two outs in the top of the seventh sparked a four-run outburst as the Mohigans (16-8) rallied for a 4-2 triumph in the OVAC Class 5A championship game at Mazeroski Field. The come-from-win allowed Morgantown to defend their title.
'Obviously, those two games were regular season but any time you get a chance to win a championship it's a different type of game,' Morgantown head coach Pat Sherald said. 'I just complimented the guys for their maturity and poise. They brought a ton of energy today.
'I have not questioned their focus in one game this season,' he said. 'They went out and had some quality at bats with nothing to show for it. But they stayed in the fight the whole time.'
The Patriots, who owned a pair of regular-season victories over the Mohigans, scored single runs in the first and second innings as they tagged Lucas Shinn for six hits. However, the junior retired 13 batters in a row from the last out of the second through the sixth to keep the Mohigans close.
'He really didn't have his best stuff today, but he found a way to pitch and not just throw,' Sherald added.
With one out in the seventh, Kai Henkins and Elijah Boggs drew consecutive walks from Wheeling Park's Ryland Robb. Wheeling Park head coach Steve Myers brought in freshman Jaxon Updegraff who hit Ryan Nipper to load the bases. A fielder's choice by Weston Mazey made it 2-1 but another base-on-balls to Mason Bowers re-loaded the bags. Bredeson turned on an 0-1 pitch, driving it to the fence in right-center as all three runners scored.
'That was a huge hit for a freshman in that spot,' Sherald said.
Wheeling Park put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Judd Messerly relieved Shinn with one out and retired the two batters he faced to earn the save. Shinn threw 99 pitches and drew praise from both head coaches.
'I thought both pitchers pitched really good games,' Wheeling Park head coach Steve Myers said. 'It was a good baseball game. They got the big hit when they needed it.
The Patriots got their runs on a run-scoring single by Rocco Digiandomenico in the first and an RBI single from Kolten Whitmire in the second. However, they didn't record another hit.
'If we're playing good baseball and they are playing good baseball, then we'll probably meet each other again this year,' Sherald added.
Whitmire and Updegraff had two singles each for Wheeling Park.
Shinn struck out four and walked two.
Robb fanned six and issued three free passes.
— Story by Kim North
Morgantown 4, Wheeling Park 2
Morgan 000 000 4 — 4 4 1
W. Park 110 000 0 — 2 6 2
M—Shinn wp (4K, 2BB), Messerly sv (7), (0K, 0BB) and Joseph; Bredeson D, 3rbi; Mazey rbi
WP—Robb (6K, 3BB), Updegraff lp (7), (0K, 1BB) and Yanchak; Whitmire 2S, rbi; Updegraff 2S; Digiandomenico S, rbi
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