CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Petersburg upped its record to 18-6 after picking up wins over Robert C. Bryd, Wheeling Park and Lincoln this weekend in Harrison County.
Olivia Kimble took the circle in the opening game against RCB and tossed six perfect innings while striking out 13 batters in an 8-0 victory.
“I wanted to minimize their hitters by forcing weak contact. Thankfully, my curveball was working well, and they couldn’t quite square it up,” Kimble said.
RCB only put the bat on the ball five times and it never left the infield. Petersburg pushed eight runs across for Kimble.
Petersburg scored one in the first, five in the second capped by a three-run blast by Ella Chew, and one run in each of the fifth and sixth innings.
The Vikings ripped off 10 hits over six innings and did not commit an error in the field.
Shyane Tawney, Samantha Colaw, Miley Tingler and Chew had two hits apiece.
“Liv threw fantastic,” Petersburg head coach Bubba Hedrick said. “We got enough hitting and strung enough runs together to win it. We’ve got good hitters. We are trying to get our hitters to adjust to the pitching we are facing, hitting good strikes.”
Chew drove in four runs, Tawney collected two, and Colaw and Tingler each drove in one run.
Washington 8, Petersburg 3
Petersburg took on the sixth-ranked Class AAA Washington Patriots, who broke a scoreless affair in the third with a four-run frame.
Washington pushed two more across in the fourth to extend its lead to six after three-and-a-half innings.
The Vikings battled back scoring once in the fourth on an RBI single by Kimble scoring Tingler.
An inning later, Colaw launched a two-run home run, cutting the deficit in half, 6-3.
Washington’s Carly Constantino entered the game after Colaw’s home run and retired eight straight Vikings to close out the game.
Petersburg’s Blair Loy was the lone Viking with multiple hits going 2 for 3. Colaw, Chew and Kimble each had one hit.
Washington scored eight runs on 10 hits and committed zero errors in the field. Petersburg scored three runs on five hits while committing five errors defensively. Colaw took the loss for the Vikings.
Petersburg 7, Wheeling Park 6
The Vikings bounced back Saturday afternoon getting back in the win column by coming back twice to walk it off in an extra inning thriller over Wheeling Park in eight frames.
The Vikings got the scoring started in the second inning.
Chew got on first after a fielder’s choice, stole second and was driven in when Loy hit a single through the right side of the infield providing a 1-0 edge early.
This was the only run the Vikings could produce until the seventh inning.
The Patriots defense turned three double plays on the Vikings, two of them erasing potential scoring opportunities after a leadoff batter successfully made it to first base in the fifth and sixth innings.
Wheeling Park’s offense scored one run in the fourth and fifth and two in the seventh pushing out to a 4-1 lead setting the stage for a Viking comeback.
Colaw led off the inning by beating out a ground ball that was bobbled by the first baseman. A Tingler walk and Chew single loaded the bases with no outs for Addison Kitzmiller.
As quickly as the bases were loaded, Kitzmiller unloaded them even quicker as she blistered a line drive that made its way to the fence in right center leaving her at second base scoring all three Viking baserunners.
Loy was intentionally walked putting runners at first and second still with no outs.
The third Patriot double play came as Kimble hit a line drive directly to the first baseman who caught the ball going to her left and falling on the bag to double off Loy.
A strikeout by Brooke Reynolds ended the Vikings’ threat and sent the game to extra innings.
The Patriots pushed across two runs in the top half of the frame, forcing the Vikings to make yet another comeback to extend or win the game.
The Vikings again loaded the bases, and with one out, Chew hit a slow roller to the Wheeling Park third baseman, who threw home to preserve their two-run lead but could not be handled by the catcher scoring Cheyenne Sites.
On the same play, Chew advanced to second but found it was occupied by Tingler. As Chew retreated to first base, a throw from the pitcher to their first baseman allowed Colaw to score and Tingler to take second.
Kitzmiller was intentionally walked to create a force play for the Patriots at any base.
Loy delivered a soft line drive that was caught by a diving shortstop. In attempt to turn the 4th double play of the game, the shortstop made an errant throw to double off Chew allowing Tingler to score the game’s winning run.
“I’m happy, anytime you win a game you’re happy, but to win it in the fashion we did is a little more special,” Hedrick said. “Sam pitched well and we had some timely hitting. One thing I’m noticing with the girls is that we have the ability to come back. I’m so proud of our kids for punching back not once, but twice.”
Colaw improved to 10-3 in the circle picking up the win.
Petersburg 15, Lincoln 0
Petersburg scored five runs in each of the first three innings while Kimble limited Lincoln to just one hit to give the Vikings a three-inning mercy-rule victory over the Cougars.
The Vikings rattled off nine hits in three innings and did not commit an error in the field.
The offense was led by Tingler and Colaw each recording a double and a single. Chew, Tawney, Sites, Kitzmiller and Kimble each had a hit as well.
Chew drove in three runs, and Kitzmiller and Tingler each drove in a pair of runs.
Kimble picked up her sixth win improving her record to 6-2.
The Vikings are back in action on Monday at 6 p.m. at home against Frankfort, which will be the final home game of the regular season.