ST. MARYS - It'll be an all-LKC South final here today in the LKC baseball championship game.
That's because both Clay County and Gilmer County notched LKC playoff semifinal wins at Dave Wilson Field Thursday night.
But the Panthers (13-12) and Titans (21-7) took different routes to get to today's 5 p.m. conference title tilt.
First, Clay won a wild and woolly 12-11 shootout over Ritchie County, then Gilmer won a tight, taut 6-3 triumph over Williamstown.
In the opener, it was 4-3 Ritchie after a high-scoring first inning, but a seven-run fourth frame propelled Clay into a 10-6 lead.
But by the end of the fifth though, the Rebels had sliced their deficit to just one at 10-9 before the Panthers secured the win with a two-run top of the seventh, although having to stave off a bottom of the seventh Ritchie rally to finalize their victory.
Fact Box
Baseball
Magnolia 5, Union Local 2
Magnolia (14-10) 201 100 1 - 5 5 0
U. Local (8-14) 110 000 0 - 2 4 3
WP: Zach Willhoite 5 IP, 5 BB, 6 SO
SAVE: Tanner Hanna 2 IP, 0 BB, 4 SO
LP: Zach Riley 7 IP, 1 BB, 7 SO
Magnolia hitting: Hanna 2-4 RBI; Willhoite 1-3, 2B, RBI; Kyle Elliott RBI; Grant Cain 1-2
Union Local hitting: Curry 1-3 RBI; Riley 2-3
Next game: John Marshall at Magnolia 5 p.m. today.
LKC Semifinals
Gilmer County 6, Williamstown 3
WHS (20-6) 010 001 1 - 3 3 2
Gilmer (21-7) 400 011 x - 6 11 3
WP: Karl Bennington 7 IP, 3 BB, 15 SO
LP: Kody Rhyne 6 IP, 0 BB, 3 SO
Williamstown hitting: Eli Gray 1-3, 3B, RBI; Avery Goff 1-2 RBI; Jake Tracewell 1-3 R; Brett MacIver RBI
Gilmer County hitting: Austin Ratliff 2-3 RBI; Bennington 2-4; Nathen Allison 2-3, 3B, 2 RBIs; Seth Skinner 1-2 RBI; Shawn Talbert 2-3, 3B
Next game: Williamstown plays as the top seed in sectional action at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Marshall Field vs. the loser of Monday's Parkersburg Catholic/St. Marys affair.
Clay County 12, Ritchie County 11
Clay County 300 070 2 - 12 19 2
Ritche County 402 030 2 - 11 12 2
WP: Bogan 7 IP, 7 SO, 5 BB
LP: Jordan Shaffer 4 IP, 4 SO, 2 BB
Ryder Bolin 0 IP, 0 SO, 2 BB
DJ Burgess 3 IP, 1 SO, 1 BB
Clay County hitters: Brogan 2-5, 2B, run; Smith 1-4, 2 runs; Bamberger 3-5, 2 runs, double, RBI; Dalton Holcomb 5-5, 2 runs, SB; Pennington 3-4, run, HBL, 3 RBIs; Cole 3-4, run, SF, 2 RBIs; Burkhammer 1-4, run; Carver 1-4, run, RBI; Dustin Holcomb run
Ritchie County hitters: Reno Jackson 1-3, 3 runs, double, SB, HBP: Shaffer 2-4, run, SF, RBI; Burgess 1-3, 2 eruns, double, 2 RBIs; Bolin 1-4, run, 3B; Dylan Frye 2-4, RBI; Mark Andrew Davis 1-2, run, SF, RBI; Tyler Reed 1-4, run, SB; Rayce Bolin 1-3; Steh Cottrill 2-3, 2 runs, RBI
Records: Clay 13-12; Ritchie 22-3
Next game: Roane at Ritchie County at 1 p.m. Tuesday (DH) in sectional action.
LKC: 5th place
Parkersburg Catholic 4, Roane County 3
PC (15-8) 100 002 1 - 4 8 2
RC (12-15) 000 003 0 - 3 3 1
WP: Mitch Davis 7 IP, 2 BB, 6 SO
LP: Hunter Bradley 3 IP, 1 BB, 2 SO
Quentin Corbitt (starter) 4 IP, 1 BB, 5 SO
Parkersburg Catholic hitting: Austin Luther 3-3, 2B, game-winning hit, 2 RBIs; Davis 2-4, 2B; Zack Romine 1-4 solo home run (6th), RBI; Jim Ferrell 1-3; Eric Scott 1-3
Roane County hitting: Justin Dynes 1-3; Willie Bowman 1-3 RBI; Eli Kucherawy 1-2 RBI
Next games: Roane County at Ritchie County (DH) 1 p.m. Tuesday in sectional action; Alliance (Ohio) at Parkersburg Catholic 11 a.m. Saturday at Marshall Field.
LKC: 7th place
St. Marys 12, South Harrison 3
St. Marys (15-13) 102 630 0 - 12 12 2
South Harrison 000 030 0 - 3 6 3
WP: Tyler Davis 7 IP, 0 BB, 4 SO
LP: Evans 3.2 IP, 3 BB, 3 SO
Lindsay 3.1 IP, 1 BB, 0 SO
St. Marys hitting: Robbie Harper 2-5 RBI; Jarrod Lough 4-5, 3 RBIs; Johnny Riggs 2-5 RBI; Matthew Houser 3-5, 2B, 4 RBIs
South Harrison hitting: Lindsay 2-3; Evans 1-2 RBI
Next game: St. Marys at Parkersburg Catholic (Marshall Field) 5 p.m. Monday in sectional action.
LKC: 11th Place
Wirt County 12, Ravenswood 3
Ravenswood 010 020 0 - 3 7 0
Wirt County 032 412 x - 12 15 1
WP: JT Nemeth 5 IP, 4 SO, 2 BB
Trenton Hardbarger 2 IP, 5 SO, 0 BB
LP: Cruz 3 IP, 2 SO, 1 BB
Burgess .2 IP, 0 SO, 2 BB
Sturm 2.1 IP, 2 SO, 2 BB
Ravenswood hitters: Cruz 2-3, RBI; Anderson 2-3; Burgess RBI; Lawrence double
Wirt County hitters: Hagan Root 2 RBIs; Hardbarger 3-4, 2 RBIs; Nemeth 2-4, 2 RBIs; Adam Smith 2-3, RBI; Austin Cottrill 2-2, RBI; Cole Holbert RBI; J.T. Stephens RBI; Taylor Campbell 2-2, RBI
Record: Wirt County 8-14, 8-12 LKC
Next game: Wirt County vs. Calhoun County at Gilmer County
13th Place Game
Calhoun County 6, Tyler Consolidated 5
Tyler Consolidated 004 100 0 - 5 2 4
Calhoun County 003 001 2 - 6 9 4
WP: Logan Moore 2 IP, 0 SO, 1 BB
Ray Davis 5 IP, 9 SO, 5 BB
LP: Dalton Wells 7 IP, 10 SO, 2 BB
Tyler Consolidated hitters: Wells double; Evan Davis 1-2
Calhoun County hitters: Logan Moore 3-4, double, 2 RBIs; Luke Moore 2-4, game-winning RBI in 7th; Cody Starcher 2-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs; Tyler Sims 1-4; Levi Gordon 1-3; Ray Davis 1-4
Record: Calhoun County 1-20
Next game: Calhoun County vs. Wirt County in sectional tournament at Gilmer County next Friday
Parkersburg South 2, Federal Hocking 0
South 000 200 0 - 2 5 0
Federal Hocking 000 000 0 - 0 2 1
WP: Jacob Braniff 7 IP, 5 SO, 0 BB
LP: Isaac Stack 7 IP, 0 SO, 0 BB
South hitters: Hunter Hamilton 2-3, SB; Wes Mitchem 1-3, run, RBI; Adam McCray 1-3, RBI; Dustin Helmic 1-3, triple, run
Federal hitters: James Lackey 1-2, HBP; Austin Russell 1-2
Record: South 20-9
Next game: Nitro at South at 5:30 p.m. today at Hank Greenburg Field
JV: Marietta 14, South 7
Marietta 020 342 3 - 14
South 000 502 0 - 7
Marietta hitters: Leister 2-5, 2 RBIs; Bronski 2-5; Forshey double, 2 RBIs; Holdren double, RBI
South hitters: Caleb Wells 2-4; Alex Simon 2-4; Kyle Bourgeois 2-3, RBI, double; Josh Wells 1-2, 2 RBIs
Records: South JV 15-9
Next game: South at Ripley at 10 a.m. Saturday
Belpre 3, Waterford 2
Waterford 020 000 0 - 2 4 2
Belpre 000 200 1 - 3 8 0
WP: Drew Nestor 7IP 0BB 11SO
LP: Schaad 6.1IP 4BB 0SO
Leading hitters: Waterford - Moore 1-2, RBI; Patterson 1-3, RBI. Belpre - Jake Ullman 2-4, 3B; Wes Hatfield 1-2, 3B; Hayden Plummer 2-3; Ryan Leasure 1-2, RBI; Brennen Ferrell RBI
Record: Belpre 7-12
Next game: Belpre at Eastern, 5 p.m. Monday.
Softball
Waterford 5, Belpre 0
Waterford (11-8) 010 021 1 - 5 8 1
Belpre (5-13) 000 000 0 - 0 2 3
WP: Laura Hill 7 IP, 5 BB, 4 SO
LP: Natalie Perry 7 IP, 1 BB, 7 SO
Waterford hitting: Amber Reed 2-3; Jaden Heiss 2-4; Chelsea Streight 2-3 RBI; Janelle Pugh 1-3, 2B; Tori Pyatt 2-3 RBI
Belpre hitting: Perry 1-3; Destiny Bell 1-2
Next game: Belpre at Eastern (makeup game) 5 p.m. Monday; Waterford at Fort Frye 5 p.m. today.
Clay sophomore hurler Jimmy Brogan spun a 135-pitch complete-game in a gritty performance on the mound, edging the Ritchie (22-3) pitching trio of starter Jordan Shaffer and relievers Ryder Bolin and D.J. Burgess.
In the nightcap, Gilmer lefty Karl Bennington, now 11-0 on the season, struck out 15 Williamstown (20-6) batters in twirling a three-hitter to outduel the Yellowjackets' Kody Rhyne as both pitchers went the distance.
The first inning proved to be the difference in this game as the Titans put together five straight one-out hits, scoring four times on RBI singles by Adam Beall and Seth Skinner sandwiched around a two-run triple by Nathen Allison.
Williamstown got a run back in the second on Avery Goff's RBI single. But Gilmer added single tallies in the fifth and sixth on an error and Austin Ratliff's RBI single respectively while the 'Jackets managed to get to Bennington for just a run each in the sixth and seventh on Eli Gray's RBI triple and Brett MacIver's suicide squeeze respectively.
