RICHFIELD, Ohio – Mountaineer Lumber Company (6-7) put themselves one step closer to an NABF World Series bid by sweeping their doubleheader against Premier Ohio (5-10) with a pair of close wins. Mountaineer Lumber Company won Game One 2-1 and Game Two 5-3.
Game 1
Thanks to strong pitching performances from both teams, it took an extra inning to settle the first game of the doubleheader.
Neither team got a hit until the bottom of the third, when Mountaineer Lumber Company’s CJ Hussey singled. However, it would take until the fourth inning for Mountaineer to get a run home.
Brennan Stobbs, who had just entered the game in relief of starter John Harabedian, walked to begin the bottom of the fourth, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Ryan Shimek hit a ground ball that looked like it would be the final out of the
inning. However, the ball skipped under first baseman Ryan Gordon’s glove, which allowed Stobbs to score.
Stobbs continued his bid for a combined no-hitter through the fifth and sixth inning, but with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, pinch hitter Teagan O’Guinn provided the spark Premier Ohio needed, smacking a double to the wall to break the hitting drought.
O’Guinn would come home one batter later, when Brett Moore hit an RBI single.
Even though a combined no-hitter was off the table, Stobbs continued to pitch well, only allowing two runners who both reached on errors. However, Premier Ohio pitcher Henry
Matés pitched perfect sixth and seventh innings to hold the score at 1 apiece and force extra innings.
After another lockdown inning by Stobbs, Mountaineer Lumber Company found new energy at the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning. Catcher Dom Trivisonno hit a deep double. That double was Mountaineer Lumber Company’s first hit since the third
inning. Premier Ohio would soon get two outs, but not without allowing a walk. With two outs and two men on base, Mountaineer Lumber Company third baseman Dean Larrance would get a huge opportunity after a wild pitch moved both runners into
scoring position. One pitch later, Larrance would take advantage. He hit a line drive into shallow center that allowed Brayden Clark, Trivisonno’s courtesy runner, to score and
give Mountaineer Lumber Company a walk off win.
Both teams’ pitching staffs kept the bats in check. Premier Ohio and Mountaineer Lumber Company pitchers combined for 27 total strikeouts while only allowing five total hits and two total walks. Mountaineer Lumber Company starter Harabedian did not
allow any hits and only allowed one walk in three innings, while punching out seven, while winning pitcher Stobbs struck out nine batters in five innings of work. Despite both allowing runs, Premier Ohio’s Austin Payne and Matés both performed well. Payne only
allowed two baserunners in three innings while striking out three batters, while in 3.2 innings, Matés struck out six.
Game 2
When Brett Moore singled in the first at bat of Game 2, it became obvious that the second game would be very different from the first. Although Aiden Durichko did not allow anybody else to reach base in the top of the first, Premier Ohio would take the
lead in the top of the second thanks to some Mountaineer Lumber Company mistakes.
Jack Amis forced a leadoff walk, then advanced to second on a ground ball. A wild pitch moved Amis to third. One pitch later, a CJ Hussey throwing error allowed Amis to come home, giving Premier Ohio its first lead of the doubleheader.
That lead would not last long. Josh Misener hit a leadoff double, then Ethan Green moved Misener to third with a single. Brayden Clark sent Misener home with a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the fourth, Jack Amis started another scoring rally, this time with a leadoff double. A pair of walks loaded the bases, then Michael Samano singled to put Ohio Premier in the lead. Michael Yarber continued the rally with a fielder’s choice play.
However, the rally came to a screeching halt when Yarber was caught stealing second base and O’Guinn struck out.
After stopping Premier Ohio’s scoring rally in its tracks, Mountaineer Lumber Company would go on one of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Will Taigen hit a leadoff double
and Shimek drew a walk. After Premier Ohio got two outs in a row and Brayden Clark hit a ground ball right to second baseman Christian Beltran, it seemed like the inning
was over. However, Beltran’s throw pulled the first baseman off the bag, allowing Taigen to score.
That error was the break Mountaineer Lumber Company needed to start a 2-out rally.   On the next pitch, Trivisonno snuck a single through the infield to tie the game. Then, Clark made an aggressive move by stealing third base with two outs. His aggression
paid off, as the throw by catcher Edward Ramos went into the outfield, which allowed Clark to go home.
Jacoby Engelhart took over on the mound in the top of the fifth and began to close the door on Premier Ohio, only allowing one hit and one walk in a pair of innings.

Clark added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, singling to bring Misener, who doubled to begin the inning, home. Kegan Gilbride used the momentum from the insurance run to deliver a perfect save for Mountaineer Lumber Company.
Whenever Misener led off an inning for Mountaineer Lumber Company, good things happened. Both times he led off an inning, he doubled and scored a run. However, Misener would not have scored without the help of Clark, who brought in Misener twice
and scored a run himself. Jack Amis led Premier Ohio by reaching base three times, including with a double, and scoring two runs. Amis’ double was the only extra base hit Premier Ohio had.
Mountaineer Lumber Company will look to capitalize on their newfound momentum as they continue to chase an NABF World Series bid. Meanwhile, Premier Ohio’s losses
put them further outside the NABF World Series bid picture.