ACCIDENT — For the fourth time in five seasons, the Class 1A West Region I baseball championship comes down to Northern and Allegany.
The top-seeded Huskies (18-2) welcome No. 2 Allegany (14-4) for all the marbles Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday before it was postponed due to the rain that hit the region, and it may be postponed again.
Allegany County schools for Wednesday are closed. Determination on athletic events scheduled for Wednesday will be made by noon.
How they got here
Both squads had to overcome gut-checks provided by upset-minded county rivals in the semifinal round.
Northern trailed No. 3 Southern 5-1 early and 6-5 entering its final at-bat before a furious comeback. Landon Yoder provided the tying hit, and Robert Deatelhauser won it with a walk-off single for a 7-6 triumph.
Allegany trailed Fort Hill, 2-1, until Landyn Ansel’s sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Jackson Resh gave the Campers the lead for good with a two-run single in the fifth in a 4-2 win.
Right-hander Myles Bascelli was unhittable, tossing 4 1/3 shutout, no-hit innings out of the bullpen to book Allegany’s ticket in the final.
A familiar foe
Northern and Allegany have met for the region title in all but one year since the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association moved to an eight-team state tournament in 2020.
Northern has won two of them, beating Alco 7-5 in 2021 and 6-5 in a nine-inning thriller in 2023 — advancing to the Class 1A state semifinals on both occasions.
Allegany defeated Northern, 4-2, last year, ultimately falling in the state quarterfinals to eventual state runner-up Patterson Mill.
The only time the conference rivals didn’t meet for the region in that span was 2022 when Allegany routed Mountain Ridge, 16-3, on its way to a state semifinal.
Path of redemption?
Allegany is out for revenge after losing to the Huskies twice during the regular season, falling 14-8 on March 22 in Cumberland and 6-1 on April 9 in Accident.
If the Campers do win, they may also have an opportunity to get back at Patterson Mill. If all the favorites win their region titles, Allegany would host Patterson Mill in the 4-5 state tournament game Friday.
Both teams red hot
Since Allegany’s second loss to Northern, the Campers have won 11 of 12 games.
Northern won 13 consecutive contests in the heart of the season, capturing the Western Maryland Athletic Conference title in the process with a 7-1 record, before a loss to Petersburg, 10-7, in the final game of the regular season.
By the numbers
Northern finished the regular season as the area’s No. 1 pitching staff and defense.
The Huskies have a team 2.30 earned run average, and their defense a .965 fielding percentage.
Northern scores 9.6 runs per game and bats .372 as a team, compared to Allegany’s 8.7 runs per game and .326 average.
Allegany’s arsenal of arms has a 2.52 ERA, and its defense has a .943 fielding percentage.
Hitters to watch
Northern has eight everyday players batting at least .300, and seven hit .350 or better.
Luke Ross leads the squad with a .441 mark, followed by Wally Brands (.408), Liam Stewart (.397), Nick Riley (.375), Devin McKenzie (.373), Jacob Chambers (.362), Cole Folk (.350) and Hunter Livengood (.316).
Deatelhauser, who spent much of his career getting DH’d for, has taken over the No. 9 spot in the lineup and has a .533 average in 24 plate appearances since.
McKenzie has a team-high eight extra-base hits, two home runs and 30 runs batted in, Folk has six doubles, and Brands has driven in 24 runs and scored 28 times himself.
Allegany’s lineup is paced by Kane Williams with a .444 average. The sophomore slugger has more extra-base hits (15) than singles (nine). His four home runs, five triples and 26 RBIs lead the Campers.
Cole Ricker is second with a .429 mark, and Kohen Madden (.424), Resh (.357) and Eli Imes (.318) are also hitting over .300.
Bascelli and Madden top Alco with seven doubles each, and Bascelli’s 26 runs lead the team.
Pitching probables
Allegany will have all pitchers available, and Northern will have everyone but Yoder.
Yoder threw 81 pitches Saturday in relief to help the Huskies come back. The right-hander, who holds a 0.39 ERA across 36 1/3 innings, allowed a run on five hits with seven Ks in five innings against Southern.
Northern is likely to throw Deatelhauser, an All-Area left-hander who threw a complete game in the Huskies’ last region final and was the winning pitcher in relief in 2022’s title game.
The senior has a 5-0 record and a 3.00 ERA over 32 2/3 innings.
Ross, a right-hander, is another option. He Holds a 5-1 mark with a 3.34 ERA in 44 frames but has been dealing with a leg injury.
Allegany has four pitchers who have started games in Madden, Bascelli, Williams and Ansel.
Madden, a RHP, has logged the most innings (42 1/3) and is second on the team in ERA (1.32).
Williams, a LHP, has been a frequent relief fixture, holding a 0.36 ERA in 19 1/3 innings.
Allegany could ride the hot hand in giving the ball to Bascelli. Despite the right-hander’s 5.96 ERA due to a slow start, the senior has allowed just one run over his last 10 1/3 innings, striking out 16.
State tourney implications
Both squads are guaranteed a home game in the Class 1A state quarterfinals on Friday.
Northern would at worst be the No. 2 seed. Liberty, with a 15-1 record, would be the top seed with a win in the North Region II final.
Allegany can’t be worse than the No. 4 seed with a victory, and with chalk across the board, the Campers would host Patterson Mill.
Clear Spring and Mardela would host the other state quarterfinal games with a region championship victory.