Bulldogs set to host Mountain Lions tonight

Tucker stays alive in regional tourney with win over Warriors; Cougars top Wildcats to advance

MILL CREEK -- Top-seed Tygarts Valley plays host to fifth-seed Tucker County at 6 p.m. today, needing just one win to advance from the top bracket of the Class A, Region II tourney.

The Mountain Lions stayed alive in the regional with a 6-5 win over fourth-seed Pocahontas County.

A win by Tucker County forces a deciding game on Tuesday, with the victor moving on to face third-seed East Hardy in a best-of-three regional final.

The Cougars earned a spot by defeating second-seed Pendleton County, 18-5, Saturday in bottom bracket action as Mason Hamilton hit a pair of homers and finished with nine RBIs.

Caleb Armentrout had two hits for the Wildcats, who ended the season with a 9-17 mark.

Tucker County, which dropped a 13-0 decision to Tygarts Valley on Thursday, rallied for two runs in the seventh inning on Saturday to eliminate the Warriors, taking advantage of three hit-batsman, an error and bases-loaded walk to Owen Bolyard.

Brayden Grey then retired Pocahontas County in order in the home-half of the frame to end the game.

Reece Poling went the first five innings for the Mountain Lions, striking out seven.

Grey twirled two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and fanning four.

Poling and Luke Barb had run-producing doubles in the second to give the Mountain Lions a 2-0 lead.

Cade Rapp added another RBI double in the third.

A run-producing double by Warren Burns, RBI singles from Dylan Keller and R.T. Hill and an RBI fielder's choice by Logan Keatley gave the Warriors a 4-3 lead in the fourth.

Keller was hit-by-a-pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth and Barb cracked an RBI double in the sixth to make it 5-4.

Burns, Hill and Keatley each had three hits for Pocahontas County.

Poling and Barb tallied two safeties apiece for Tucker County.