KEYSER, W.Va. — Reece Tasker and Logan Rotruck hit a pair of home runs for their respective teams Saturday, and Garrett County and Potomac Valley played to a doubleheader split.
Tasker homered once in each game. His first was a two-run shot during a five-run fifth inning that proved to be the difference in a 9-5 Garrett County victory.
Garrett County (9-10) overcame a 3-0 deficit. Rotruck and JJ Charlton drove in a run each during the first inning on a triple and double, respectively.
Ryan Bird settled in, however, and pitched seven complete innings for Garrett County to get the win. He allowed five runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking three.
Tasker finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs, Cole Folk was 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs and Wally Brands singled twice and scored twice.
Potomac Valley (12-9) used four pitchers and Charlton was dealt the loss.
Also standing out for Potomac Valley were Jacob Nething with two doubles and Tyson Arnold with one.
Tasker also left the yard in the second game with another two-run shot, but it proved to be too little too late as Potomac Valley rode two big flies by Rotruck to a 10-8 win.
Tasker’s blast trimmed Garrett’s deficit to 10-7 with no outs in the seventh. Garrett got another run back on a bases-loaded RBI walk by Robert Deatelhauser, but Blake Jacobs tossed a groundout to strand the go-ahead run at first base.
Rotruck’s first home run was a two-run shot for a 3-2 Potomac Valley lead in the first frame, and the second also plated a pair, this time for a 10-5 lead in the fifth.
Potomac Valley had four batters with multiple hits in the line-up. Cam Lynch was 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored, Rotruck was 2 for 3 with four RBIs and two runs, Noah Broadwater singled, doubled and scored twice and Jacobs finished 2 for 4 with a double and four RBIs.
Arnold was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits with a strikeout and two walks in four innings of work. Chase Davis pitched in middle relief.
Jared Haskiell was dealt the loss for Garrett. Luke Ross got the start, and Deatelhauser pitched a scoreless sixth in relief.
Tasker finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Folk was 2 for 3 with two runs batted in, and Bird was 2 for 3 with a double and scored twice.
Garrett County Post 71/208/214 heads to the Cumberland Fairgrounds Monday at 6 p.m. for a Mountain District matchup with Fort Cumberland Post 13 (10-6).
Post 13 has already clinched the district with a 6-1 record.