CHARLESTON, W.Va. — No. 5 Frankfort rallied in a rematch of the Class AAA state championship game last year, but Ripley’s Eli Casto walked it off for a 6-5 win on Saturday in the Howard Daniels Invitational at Capital High.
Ripley, which won last year’s state final 5-0, entered the seventh inning ahead 5-2 before a comeback by Frankfort (8-6) leveled the margin.
RBI free passes by Cole Shanholtz and Braeden Laffey brought the Falcons within one, and Lanson Orndorf (Charleston signee) tied things up with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Ripley (9-8) kicked off the seventh by reaching via a hit by pitch. After a sac bunt, Casto drove in the winning run with a single to left.
Orndorf, Blake Jacobs (Charleston signee) and Jaxon Hare doubled for Frankfort. Jesus Perdew went 3 for 4, and Hare had two base hits.
Rhett Sensabaugh was tabbed with the loss in a complete-game effort, allowing six runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Ripley’s Eli Phalen belted a solo home run, Casto was 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs, and Kyler Doss singled twice.
Jayce Fairman was credited with the win in relief, getting the final two outs of the top of the seventh.
Frankfort hosts Keyser (4-10) on Monday at 4:30 p.m.
No. 4 Fort Hill drops 2
No. 4 Fort Hill lost a heartbreaker to Robert C. Byrd, 5-4, and fell to Bridgeport, 7-0, in the McDonald’s Classic Saturday.
Fort Hill (7-4-1) led RCB, 4-3, entering the bottom of the seventh on a the strength of a three-run fifth.
Right-hander Bobby Brauer fanned the first batter of the inning but was pulled after hitting his pitch limit on a double by Xavier Carvelli.
An error by Fort Hill plated the tying run, another error loaded the bases and a third miscue with two outs allowed the winning run to score.
Brauer allowed four runs (two earned) on nine hits in a 6 1/3-frame no-decision. He struck out four and walked two. Colt Resh was dealt the loss.
Brauer doubled at the plate, and Carson Bender singled twice.
Robert C. Byrd’s Ashton Shaffer struck a solo homer in the first inning. Nine different hitters combined for the Eagles’ nine hits.
Landon Frazier threw 2 2/3 scoreless frames of relief for the win.
Bridgeport’s Guy Ovolio held Fort Hill to no runs on six hits in six innings, striking out 11 for the victory. Luke Rohrig tripled, doubled and garnered three runs batted in.
Brauer and Coye Resh doubled. Resh had multiple hits.
Colt Resh was the losing arm, though just one of his seven runs were earned thanks to five Fort Hill errors.
Fort Hill heads to Petersburg (5-8) on Monday at 6 p.m.
No. 3 Hampshire 10 Berkeley Springs 0
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Landon Whitacre threw a shutout, and No. 3 Hampshire surged ahead with a six-run second inning to rout Berkeley Springs in five frames Friday.
Mason Wolford went 3 for 4 with three RBIs for Hampshire (9-5), which upped its winning streak to five games. Brayden Hott singled twice and drove in three runs, and Channing Wilt had two knocks and scored three times.
Whitacre tossed five shutout frames of three-hit ball, fanning seven and walking one.
Berkeley Springs’ Caiden Groves took the loss.
Hampshire hosts Musselman on Monday at 7 p.m.
Moorefield 10 Notre Dame 0
MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — Oliver Crites drove in a trio of runs, Mathew Iman tossed five shutout frames and Moorefield cruised to a six-inning romp of Notre Dame on Saturday.
Moorefield (9-4) was led by Crites at the plate, who doubled twice. Iman tripled, Edison Metheny had three hits and three runs, and Zakk Keplinger singled twice.
Iman allowed no runs on two hits across five innings, fanning five and walking five.
Notre Dame’s Dominico Minnocci was the losing pitcher.
Moorefield is at East Hardy (9-5) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
East Hardy loses twice
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — East Hardy out-hit both of its opponents Saturday, but 19 walks doomed it to defeats to Herbert Hoover, 10-4, and Lincoln, 15-14, in the McDonald’s Classic at East Fairmont High.
The Cougars (9-5) led Lincoln, 9-2, after two-and-a-half innings. After East Hardy lost its lead in the middle innings, it plated four in the seventh for a 14-11 edge.
Lincoln did not record a base hit during its rally in the seventh, reaching on two hit battsmen and five walks — the final a walk-off walk by Brycen Moore.
East Hardy’s Shayne Sisler had a monster 4-for-5 game with seven RBIs and three runs. He belted a grand slam in the second and also doubled.
Evan Hamilton hit a solo homer and was 3 for 5, Mason Hamilton doubled, and Dayton Dove had three hits.
Against Herbert Hoover, Mason Hamilton and Eli Combs recorded two-baggers for the Cougars.
East Hardy hosts Moorefield (9-4) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Clay-Battelle 18-17 Paw Paw 3- 1
PAW PAW, W.Va. — Clay-Battelle racked up 35 base hits in a twinbill sweep of Paw Paw on Saturday.
Paw Paw (1-7) was led in the first game by Conner Kendall, who was 2 for 2 with a double and two runs batted in. Tomy Santos doubled and singled and Taylor Carder singled twice in the Game 2 defeat.
Clay-Battelle’s Trey Huggins had four hits and three RBIs in the opening rout. Cayden Strosnider doubled three times and drove in three runs in the second.
Paw Paw is at Lighthouse next Monday, April 27, at 4:30 p.m.