INWOOD — The Gold Team proved golden in the inaugural baseball tournament the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival held last weekend.
Baseball players from area high schools with qualifying grade-point averages were mixed together on three teams for the tournament held at Musselman.
Rain on the scheduled Saturday date pushed the games back a day later to Oct. 17, and the Gold Team won all three of its games, including two wins over runner-up Cardinal.
The Cardinal Team finished as the runner-up. Team members include Colin Aulisio, Cole Lewis, Devon Mattei, Tanner Matthew, Wyatt McClintock, Jason Myers, Landon Pence, JJ Polvinale, Will Polvinale, Cohen Rutherford, Cole Smith, Justin Spickler, Ty Vickers, Austin Zacharias, manager Tanner Everton and coaches Joe Polvinale and Tommy McClintock.
Gold won the championship with an 8-2 win as Musselman player Connor Chancey tossed no-hit ball for three innings.
His Musselman teammate Dylan Stevens led the way offensively with three hits and also pitched, along with Max Turner.
Jordan Canby (Martinsburg) and Cooper Shillingburg (Washington) added two hits apiece to the offensive attack for the Yellow.
The Gold team included the following members: Landon Babbington, Carson Boober, Taryn Boyles, Noah Brown, Canby, Conner Chancey, Brandon Dunbar, Isaac Grove, Dylan Mabe, Michael Poltar, Shillingburg, Stevens, Andrew Taylor, Turner, Caleb Whitacre, manager Andrew Stevens and coach Justin Taylor.
Jefferson player Justin Spickler had a pair of hits for the Cardinal.
Jason Myers (Musselman) started for Cardinal going three innings and Will Polvinale (Jefferson) and Cole Smith (Jefferson) closing it out.
The Gold also won 6-0 over the Cardinal in the tournament opener and came from behind in the the fifth inning as it trailed by six runs to win 9-8 over Green.
Boober (Martinsburg) and Brown (Hedgesville) each had two hits in the shutout victory over Cardinal. Dunbar (Washington) and Turner combined on the shutout, striking out six.
In the Gold’s comeback victory, Chancey drove in the tying run with a line-single off his Musselman teammate Trevor Boor. Shillingburg tripled in the game-winning run.
Boober (Martinsburg), Stevens, Shillingburg and, Isaac Grove (Martinsburg) had two hits apiece for Gold.
Stevens and Boober combined on the mound in the victory.
Kyle Lore (Musselman) and Victor Mercurio (Martinsburg) each had two hits for the Green. Starting pitcher Chase Herndon (Spring Mills) struck out five over three innings.
To get to the championship, Cardinal defeated Green 12-4.
Jefferson teammates Cole Lewis and Will Polvinale delivered two hits apiece in the victory. Starting pitcher Jason Myers (Musselman) struck out six over three innings.
Pictured with former professional baseball player Daryl Strawberry is the Green Team. Members include Luke Barr, Trevor Boor, Brady Catrow, Keagan Everhart, Ryder Ganse, Izaac Gilbert, Chase Herndon, Wyatt Levie, Kyle Lore, Austin Manor, Victor Merceruio, Austin Moberly, Connor Williams, Will Wilt, manager Sean Lore and coach Nick Moberly.
Austin Moberly (Musselman) struck out three in his three innings for the Green.
“We could not be more pleased with how the first Fall Classic turned out,” festival board president Susan Snowden said. “Everyone was so excited about how it was organized with the teams being made up of a collection of athletes from area high schools, with no team being school specific, rather each of the three rosters had representation from multiple schools.”
The event was put together by James and Jan Chancey.
Snowden said she expects the baseball event to become a “staple” of the Apple Harvest Festival.
