Post 15 drops game 1 vs. Wheeling, 9-1
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WHEELING -- Thursday began a best-of-three series for the W.Va. American Legion Area 1 Championship between Parkersburg Post 15 and Wheeling Post 1, with the Wheeling squad striking first with a 9-1 home victory on the field at Wheeling Park High School.
After tallying four hits and three RBI in an Area 1 tournament victory on Wednesday vs. Ritchie County, Chris Upton continued his hot streak with three more hits from the top of Wheeling's lineup on Thursday. The Linsly product scored twice and knocked in a run. Former Wheeling Park Patriot Nolan Yanchak also collected three hits on Thursday, including two doubles as the catcher drove in a run.
Wheeling Post 1 had 13 hits as a team. Parkersburg Post 15 finished with six.
Cam Cumpston reached twice to lead Post 15, hitting a single and drawing a walk.
Post 1's Steven Brodegard picked up the win, pitching 5.2 innings of one-run ball, striking out five. Erik Blazier tossed the final 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and no runs.
Wheeling scored one run in each of the first three innings to hold a modest 3-1 advantage going into the fourth inning. No more runs came across for either team until the bottom of the sixth, where Post 1 plated six. Yanchak and Upton both doubled in the pull-away frame, while Dom Fato and Brody Groome each hit RBI singles and Aleks Zanieski drew a bases-loaded walk to plate another.
Brady Ernest and Braxton Billick each had two hits for Post 1. Ernest tripled and Billick doubled.
Seth Menarchek put Post 15 on the board in the top of the second with an RBI single to center field.
The two teams will face off again on Friday at the same location.