CARMICHAELS, Pa. — A day after Gavin Pratt downed Potomac Valley in a two-hit shutout, Carmichaels’ Matt Bamford nearly repeated the feat.
Bamford held the Mudcats to three hits across seven scoreless innings, as the Copperheads defeated Potomac Valley, 2-0, on Thursday at Carmichaels Area High to improve to 2-0 in the best-of-five Fayette County Baseball League championship series.
The right-hander, a junior who plays at Chatham University, struck out 10 and walked three in the victory.
Carmichaels (20-2) scored both of its runs in the first inning.
Dom Colarusso led off Carmichaels’ first at-bat with a double, Alex Vansickle moved him over with a grounder to second and Santino Marra plated him with a sacrifice fly to right field.
The next batter, Noah Mildren, evidently tired of playing station to station, made it 2-0 with one swing of the bat, homering to right field.
Potomac Valley hurler Bryce Snyder (Frostburg State/Mountain Ridge) settled in after the first and tossed a complete-game gem in his own right, though he was dealt the loss.
The right-hander surrendered two runs on five hits in six innings. Snyder struck out five and walked two.
JJ Charlton (Garrett College/Hampshire) singled twice to pace the Mudcats.
Potomac Valley (18-4), needing to win the final three games of the series for the title, will try to stay alive when it hosts the Copperheads in Game 3 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Garrett College.