American Legion Baseball State Tournament: Beckley stays alive and eliminates Morgantown

Beckley Bash Post 32 is one win away from Championship Monday

Morgantown - Beckley Bash Post 32 faced another elimination clash Saturday afternoon at the American Legion State Tournament on Dale Miller Field at Mylan Park.

Once again, the Bash Boys were up to the challenge.

Guided by solid pitching, timely hitting and solid base running, Beckley lived to see another day with a 5-4 win over Morgantown Post 2.

Post 32 will play again Sunday at 1 p.m. against Charleston Post 60.

After Cole Brown pitched a scoreless top of the first inning, Beckley took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the frame.

Jake Meadows reached on an error and when the ball rolled free, Meadows kept running, sliding safely into second base.

Independence all-stater Degan Williams followed with single for the early lead.

The lead vanished, however, in the third inning when Morgantown heated at the dish with five hits leading to three runs.

Undaunted by the deficit, Beckley responded with three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning.

RBI-singles from Ashton Cochran and Levi Barnett tied the game before Barnett scored on a double steal for a 4-3 lead.

Beckley added to the lead an inning later when a throwing error by the host team allowed Meadows to score.

Morgantown sliced the deficit in half in the fifth inning and was threatening when Beckley stopped the rally in its tracks with a Zach Hunt to Brayden Kiblinger over to Cochran double play.

Post 2 did not go quietly.

A one out double in the seventh gave Morgantown hope and forced Brown out of the game due to the pitch count rules.

Meadows came on and appeared to retire the first batter, but it was ruled that Cochran's foot was pulled off of the bag on the throw to first, placing runners at the corners.

The former Shady Spring all-stater never wavered coaxing a pop out in foul ground and a liner snagged by Brown who had moved to shortstop.

Sims and Williams had two hits apiece for Beckley, while Cochran was perfect in his three trips to the plate.

Brown struck-out seven over 6.1 innings and earned the win, while Meadows surrendered only the controversial hit and zero runs for the save.