Senior Night for the Mountaineers
Coming off of a game in which they had a good chance to win, but ultimately the game was ended due to weather, the Mountaineers (4-26-1) looked to come in a grab a win or two with their double header against Huntingdon (16-16). This was senior night for the mountaineers so this game was especially important to the 6 players who knew this may be one of the last times they can take the field, while still wearing their Berea uniform. The mountaineers however, fell just short in a 27-17 loss that seemed winnable in the beginning but quickly got out of hand and the Mountaineers just couldn’t catch up.
The game started off on a good note when they held the Hawks scoreless in the top of the first inning and ended up scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the first. Catcher, Andrew Akins, was key in this initial lead when he had a double that also batted two runners in and gave the Mountaineers momentum to end the inning. Even with this good start the mountaineers energy left when Huntingdon responded and ended up scoring 4 runs, with 2 of them being unearned in the top of the second.
The hawks and the Mountaineers continued to trade runs, up until the 7th inning. Berea held a two run lead 9-7 going into the 7th, but then the game was busted wide open with the Hawks scoring 11 runs in one inning and completely taking over the game. This was a rough inning for the Mountaineers pitcher Baylor Manire and was taken out after the 8th inning and was replaced by Jalen Prater. Even though the game seemed out of reach the Mountaineers continued to fight and scored 6 runs between the 7th and 8th inning.
The score was 18-15 at the top of the 9th and Berea’s hopes of winning a game for their seniors was still alive. Then they saw their hopes go out the window as the Hawks gained run after run and scored 9 runs in the top of the 9th that pushed their lead to 27-15. At this point you could see the disappointment from the Mointaineers as the game got away from them. Berea scored 2 runs to close out the game in an agonizing defeat at the hands of the Huntingdon Hawks.
The emotions of the players could be seen from the sideline as they saw their seniors lose on their special night, but they knew there was still more baseball to be played and another opportunity for the team to send their seniors out with a win. The mountaineers gathered themselves and prepared for the second game of their double-header with the Hawks.
