Buckhannon Post 7 outfielder Patrick LaRosa launches a two-run home run during Saturday’s game against Wickliffe, Ohio Post 7. LaRosa went 3-for-4 in Buckhannon’s two games Saturday, but Post 7 finished the Hillbilly Hardball Classic winless in five games. Photo by ANDREW REINER/The Record Delta

TENNERTON — Things went from bad to worse for Buckhannon Post 7 in the Hillbilly Hardball Classic last weekend, as the team dropped their final three games to finish the tournament 0-5.

Post 7 fell to Caln Township, Pa. by an 8-2 score in their lone game Friday and started the day Saturday with a 10-3 loss to Wickliffe, Ohio Post 7. Both games were stopped after six innings due to the tournament’s time limit of two hours and 15 minutes. In their final tournament outing Saturday, Post 7 lasted just five innings in a 14-1 loss to French Creek Valley, Pa.

Patrick LaRosa provided one of the bright spots for Pots 7 Saturday, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a two-run home run, raising his batting average to .294 on the season. Brock Hyre was the top run-producer for Post 7 during the three-game span, driving in three runs.

Buckhannon fell behind early in Friday’s game against Caln Township and were stymied by some missed opportunities offensively. Three Post 7 runners were caught stealing and one was thrown out at the plate.

Caln Township took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Zachary Stone’s two-run homer and scored two more in the top of the second. Thomas Cummings led off the second inning with a double and scored after Buckhannon allowed three straight walks. Zachery Ramaley, who followed Cummings with a walk, scored the second run of the inning when Brendan O’Brien hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Post 7 scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning, as Hyre’s two-RBI single drove in Taz Chidester and Evan Wright. But Caln Township added three runs in the fourth, driving in the runs on bases-loaded walks from Stephen Medvidik and Cummings and Nicholas McBride’s sacrifice fly.

Caln Township scored their final run in the fifth inning, when Zachary White drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on O’Brien’s RBI single.

Devin Cottrill took the loss for Buckhannon in 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on two hits and 11 walks. Andrew Czepiel earned the win for Caln Township, tossing a six-inning complete game.

In their afternoon tilt with Wickliffe Saturday, Buckhannon cut the lead to one run, at 3-2, when LaRosa lined a two-run homer over the wall in center field. But Buckhannon managed just two more base hits the rest of the way and Wickliffe tacked on five runs in the fourth inning to break the game open.

Joe Sinchak and Sterling Harris led off the fourth-inning rally with singles, then scored on back-to-back RBI singles from Kevin Pye and Evan Knoblauch. A sacrifice fly from Billy Joyce and another single from Mike Johnson scored two more runs, and Johnson scored the final run of the inning on a Buckhannon error.

Evan Wright scored the final Buckhannon run in the fifth inning, hitting a leadoff double to center and scoring on Hyre’s one-out, ground-rule double to left. Wickliffe wrapped up the scoring in the sixth with a pair of unearned runs.

Nathaniel Carroll took the loss for Buckhannon, allowing eight runs on nine hits through four innings of work. Johnson picked up the win for Wickliffe, allowing three runs through five innings.

Carroll provided Buckhannon’s only run in the finale Saturday, smacking a solo home run to left field in the fourth inning of their 14-1 loss to French Creek Valley. Post 7 managed just five hits in the loss, while French Creek Valley jumped on their hosts early with five first-inning runs and six more in the third.

Doug Farley and Eric Schell each provided three hits from the top two spots in the French Creek Valley batting order, while Farley and infielder Jacky Sindlinger drove in two runs each. French Creek Valley racked up 11 hits, including three doubles, and took advantage of nine walks.

Matt Morian went the distance for French Creek Valley to earn the win, while Alex Gaaserud was charged with the loss for Buckhannon. Gaaserud lasted 2 2/3 innings on the mound, giving up 10 runs on nine hits.

For the second straight year, no tournament champion could be crowned, as rain at the tournament sites in Elkins on Friday and Saturday caused Sunday’s semifinal and championship rounds to be canceled in favor of divisional make-up games.

Buckhannon Post 7 (1-7 overall, 1-0 Area V) will return to action Thursday evening, hosting Braxton Post 33 at William E. Phillips Memorial Field at 7 p.m.

They will head to Kingwood Saturday for a 4 p.m. date with Preston Post 56

The boxscores:



Caln Township, Pa. 220 310 — 8

Buckhannon 020 000 — 2

E – Root; Cottrill, Gaaserud. LoB – Caln Township 11, Buckhannon 5. 2B – Cummings. SB – Crist, O’Brien; Gaaserud. CS – Bender, Gaaserud, Hyre.



Hitting

Caln Township — Brendan O’Brien cf, 4 1 1 1; William Root ss, 1 2 0 0; Zachary Stone 3b, 3 2 1 2; Stephen Medvidik 1b, 2 0 0 0; Nicholas McBride dh, 2 0 1 1; Andrew Czepiel p, 2 0 1 1; Thomas Cummings 2b, 3 1 1 1; Zachery Ramaley lf, 0 1 0 0; Erik Kilmoff ph-lf, 1 0 1 0; Kenneth Byerly c, 3 0 0 0; Matthew Crist rf, 1 0 0 0; Zachary White ph-rf, 1 1 0 0. Totals 21 8 5 5.

Buckhannon — Brock Hyre 2b, 3 0 1 2; Levi Bender lf, 2 0 1 0; Nathaniel Carroll cf, 3 0 1 0; Devin Cottrill p-1b, 2 0 0 0; Corbin Pugh 1b-p, 1 0 0 0; Tyler Davis ss, 3 0 0 0; Alex Gaaserud 1b-p, 2 0 1 0; Billy Kelley rf, 2 0 1 0; Jonah Bender ph, 1 0 0 0; Taz Chidester c, 2 1 1 0; Evan Wright 3b, 2 1 1 0. Totals 23 2 7 2.



Pitching

Caln Township — Czepiel (W): 6 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, 0 earned runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts.

Buckhannon — Cottrill (L, 0-3): 3 2/3 innings, 2 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned runs, 11 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch; Gaaserud: 1 1/3 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts; Pugh: 1 inning, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout.



Wickliffe, Ohio 300 502 — 10

Buckhannon 020 010 — 3

E – Becker; Gaaserud, Hyre, Pugh, Wright. LoB – Wickliffe 9, Buckhannon 3. 2B – Hyre, Wright. 3B – Pye. Sac.– Joyce. SB – Doremus, Sinchak.



Hitting

Wickliffe — Kevin Pye 2b, 4 2 2 1; Evan Knoblauch rf, 3 2 1 1; Billy Joyce cf, 2 1 1 2; Mike Johnson p-1b, 4 1 2 3; Steve Doremus cr, 0 1 0 0; Christian Verde c, 4 0 1 0; Bobby Trefzger 3b, 2 0 0 0; Geer ph-3b, 0 0 0 0; Eric Becker ss, 3 0 0 0; Joe Sinchak lf, 2 2 1 0; Joe Silvaroli ph-lf, 2 0 1 2; Sterling Harris 1b, 3 1 1 0. Totals 29 10 10 9.

Buckhannon — Hyre 2b-p, 3 0 1 1; Chidester c, 3 0 0 0; Carroll p-cf, 3 0 0 0; Cottrill 1b, 3 0 0 0; Davis ss, 3 0 1 0; Gaaserud rf, 2 1 0 0; Patrick LaRosa cf, 2 1 1 2; Kane Bender ph-rf, 0 0 0 0; Wright 3b, 2 1 1 0; Pugh lf, 2 0 0 0. Totals 23 3 4 3.



Pitching

Wickliffe — Johnson (W): 5 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, 3 wild pitches; Joyce: 1 inning, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts.

Buckhannon — Carroll (L, 0-1): 4 innings, 9 hits, 8 runs, 7 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch, 1 hit batsman (Joyce); Hyre: 2 innings, 1 hit, 2 runs, 0 earned runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 1 wild pitch, 1 hit batsman (Harris).



French Creek Valley, Pa. 516 11 — 14

Buckhannon 000 10 — 1

E – Cottrill, Davis. LoB – French Creek Valley 9, Buckhannon 2. 2B – Bronson, Carter, Schell. HR – Carroll. Sac. – McCray. SB – Davis. CS – Morian.



Hitting

French Creek Valley — Doug Farley cf, 3 4 3 2; Eric Schell ss-1b, 5 1 3 1; Jake Carter dh, 1 1 1 1; Kyle McCray rf, 2 0 0 1; Matt Morian p, 3 1 0 0; Nick Sullivan c, 0 1 0 0; Sonny Pechin1b-3b, 1 0 0 0; Adam Bronson 1b-c, 3 2 1 0; Jared Campbell 2b, 2 2 1 0; R.J. Baker cr-rf, 1 1 0 0; Jacky Sindlinger 3b-2b, 2 1 1 2; A.J. Thompson lf, 2 0 1 0; Dakota Schultz ph-lf, 2 0 0 0. Totals 26 14 11 7.

Buckhannon — Hyre 2b-p, 3 0 0 0; Chidester c, 2 0 0 0; Davis ss, 2 0 1 0; Carroll cf, 2 1 1 1; Cottrill 1b, 2 0 1 0; Gaaserud p, 1 0 0 0; Pugh p-rf, 1 0 0 0; Jonah Bender rf, 0 0 0 0; LaRosa lf, 2 0 2 0; Wright 3b, 2 0 0 0; Kane Bender rf-2b, 1 0 0 0. Totals 16 1 5 1.



Pitching

French Creek Valley — Morian (W): 5 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts.

Buckhannon — Gaaserud (L, 0-1): 2 1/3 innings, 9 hits, 10 runs, 9 earned runs, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch, 1 hit batsman (Farley); Pugh: 2/3 inning, 0 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts, 3 wild pitches; Hyre: 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 1 hit batsman (Baker).

For the complete article see the 06-24-2009 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 06-24-2009 paper.