SHORT GAP, W.Va. — In a battle of two state runners-ups a season ago and two college-bound aces, Morgantown got the better of Frankfort in the teams’ opener.
Morgantown pushed two runs across in the third and fourth innings, and that was more than enough with West Virginia-bound right-hander Slade Burton pumping in fastballs in the low 90s.
Burton tossed four shutout frames, Luca Mezzanotte had three hits and three RBIs, and the Mohigans cruised to a 10-0 rout of Frankfort on Thursday night.
“We can’t leave the bases loaded twice early and not score,” Frankfort head coach Matt Miller said. “If we get a run across early, that changes the perspective of the game. We had to get some opportunities. We didn’t get the job done.
“My theory is playing the best teams we possibly can play. WVU commit on the mound in the mid-90s today. Tough day for us. He did a good job. The other pitcher came in, was doing really well too. They did a good job shutting us down.”
Both teams have championship aspirations after falling in their respective state title games in 2025: Frankfort in Class AAA and Morgantown in AAAA.
Burton, who was clocked at 93 miles per hour on what became a chilly evening, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and benefited from a double play in the second.
The righty eventually settled in, and he left the game at 67 pitches after allowing just one hit across four shutout innings, striking out three and walking three.
Frankfort right-hander Lanson Orndorf, a University of Charleston signee, struggled with control at times but put up back-to-back scoreless frames to start.
Morgantown finally got to him in the third on an RBI single by Mezzanotte. The Mohigans plated two more on a costly two-out error when a check swing by Lincoln Thornton sent a soft liner to first, and it spun away into foul territory.
“Yeah, 1-0 and 3-0 are a lot different with that kid on the bump,” Miller said, acknowledging that Frankfort was without its starting first baseman Braeden Laffey, who just wrapped up his basketball season.
“Once you get down three, it takes a lot of the things you can do away from you.”
Maddox Boggs entered in relief of Burton in the fourth, and he tossed three shutout innings of three-hit ball, striking out four and walking none to finish out the game for the Mohigans.
Morgantown’s Ryan Nipper added a solo home run in the fifth, Kane Williams — a member of Allegany’s state championship team last year before transferring this year — garnered a two-run double, and Jackson Bredeson pushed two runs in on a pair of RBI groundouts.
Morgantown had five transfers in its starting lineup from five schools.
“They were Quad-A finalists last year and they have five really good players added to their team,” Miller said. “And we were AAA finalists last year and we’re going to play as tough a schedule as we can. Today, we weren’t the better team.”
Orndorf took the loss for Frankfort, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked three.
Carson Durst and Dalton Evans pitched in relief for Frankfort.
Orndorf and Blake Jacobs (Charleston signee) were the Falcons’ leading hitters with a double each.
While Frankfort had struggles defensively at times, committing three errors, and Morgantown lost a fly ball in the lights, both teams flashed their glovework.
Frankfort turned a double play, and second baseman Jaxon Hare gunned down a runner at the plate with a strong throw in the second inning after a grounder up the middle kicked into shallow center field.
Morgantown turned double plays in the second and sixth innings.
Frankfort will look to record its first win of the season when it heads to Hedgesville on Saturday at noon.