MCHENRY — Fort Cumberland ended the season on a high note, as Garrett County pivots to the postseason.
In what was tantamount to an exhibition with the Mountain District title long sewn up, Garrett and Fort Cumberland split their final doubleheader, with Garrett winning Game 1, 6-1, and Post 13 taking the nightcap 12-6 on Thursday at Garrett College.
“It was a good day for us,” Garrett County manager Phil Carr said. “We got a lot of guys on the mound, which if we advance past this Sunday, we might need some of those guys.
“It was a good second game where we got to play a lot of young guys who haven’t had a lot of at-bats or time in the field.”
Garrett (16-5-1, 8-2 district), winners of 10 of its last 12 games, turns to a Maryland state tournament play-in game on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Mount Airy Gold Star Post 191.
Post 71/208/214 will meet the runner-up of the Frank Riley League in Southern Maryland in the winner-take-all bout.
Its opponent is still to be determined, as that district uses a postseason tournament to determine a champion, which has been pushed back by rain. St. Mary’s Post 255 Stefko (20-5) and St. Mary’s Post 255 Bean (11-8) are the final two teams and play Friday.
For two-time defending state champion Fort Cumberland (2-10, 2-8 district), its disappointing summer ended on a high note.
“Big-time hits from guys today in the second game,” Fort Cumberland manager Brian McAlpine said. “It’s how we should have played all year. … We just couldn’t seem the find the mojo (at the plate).
“Hopefully next year we put it all together and be back where we need to be.”
In the Post 13 victory, Kohen Madden went 5 for 5 with two RBIs, Bryson Krumpach was 3 for 5 with two doubles and five RBIs, Brady Moran had two hits and Peyton Blocher drove in a pair and scored twice.
With the district result decided, the twinbill presented an opportunity for Garrett to get young players in the lineup.
Or, in the case of Fort Cumberland, it allowed catcher Josef Sneathen (Garrett College) to make his pitching debut. The right-hander threw three solid innings of relief, allowing a run on three hits in three innings with two strikeouts and no walks.
The performance lifted Moran to the win, who started the game and allowed five unearned runs on six hits in four innings. He struck out three and walked one.
In consecutive half-innings, both teams sent their Game 1 starting catchers to the mound in Game 2.
Sneathen toed the rubber in the bottom of the fifth, and Carr trotted out backstop Reece Tasker to pitch the top of the sixth.
Ryan Bird and Cole Folk both had multiple hits, with Bird doubling, to pace the Garrett lineup.
Tasker swung the big stick in Game 1, clubbing a triple and double with three RBIs. Jake Chambers went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs, and Ben Lohr was 2 for 2 and scored twice.
Lohr’s emergence has come at an opportune time with Garrett’s starting center fielder Luke Ross nursing a shoulder injury.
Garrett’s ace, Jared Haskiell, might also be done for the summer with an arm injury.
Garrett used the first game to get innings for arms who could get more burn if it makes the state tournament. Liam Stewart earned the win in relief, throwing 3 2/3 shutout innings, and Caleb Hinebaugh allowed a run on one hit in 3 1/3 frames to start.
Krumpach, Post 13’s starter pitcher, tossed a solid game himself in a loss, surrendering three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 frames.
Landyn Ansel went 2 for 4 and drove in Fort Cumberland’s lone run.
Garrett County now aims to get back to the state tournament to continue the Mountain District’s run of success.
The district’s representative has advanced to the state championship game the last four summers, a run that began with Garrett in 2021 and was capped with consecutive Fort Cumberland titles.
“Hopefully Luke and Jared, pray for their health first of all, we can get those back to where they can swing, pinch-hit, run, do something to where they can help us out a little bit,” Carr said.
“It’s kind of disappointing where we’re the champion of the league and we have to do a play-in game. I still don’t agree with it.”