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Scoreboard sizzles as Cougars sweep Morgantown

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | Apr 15, 2022

Jefferson High School’s Chase Brown took first place at the Morgantown Invitational, with a jump of 5 foot 10 inches. David Pennock

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — Have you ever witnessed a 13-run inning in a once-tense high school baseball game? Or how about 19 batters in one inning?

Jefferson, which had stormed past Sectional opponent Hampshire, 17-0, the night before, had an offensive monsoon against visiting Morgantown last Saturday at quickly drying Sager Field in Shenandoah Junction.

The Mohigans had taken a quick three-run lead before the once-beaten Cougars turned the building tide enough to lead, 11-4, going to the bottom of the fourth.

Why there weren’t any ruts in the base paths after Jefferson fled around the sacks — scoring 13 times and stranding three runners at that — was a testament to the ground crew, which had worked tirelessly on the infield following heavy rains the night before.

Game times for the doubleheader were set back about two hours and the skies still threatened to open all afternoon. But not only did Jeferson threaten, the Cougar offense provided five- and six-run showcases even before the 13-run deluge washed over the Mohigans. Jefferson posted a 24-4 win after repulsing the early Morgantown lead.

Jefferson High School’s TAsha Jay came landed in fifth place, with a time of 53.65 at the Morgantown Invitational. David Pennock

Sam Wabnitz drove in four runs, as did Sammy Roberts and Griffin Horowicz. Connor Bailey had three RBIs, as did Noah Carter, who breached the outfield fence with his three-run homer in the epic fourth inning scoring spree.

Tallying runs was the offensive feature in the wind and cold of the afternoon. Carter scored four times, Ryan Hefner, Bailey and Horowicz all scored three runs. Reserves acquitted themselves well enough as seven pinch hitters in the massive inning provided five base runners themselves.

An aged baseball adage calls for a team to save some runs when it is mangling the opposition, and another game is imminent. Jefferson needed every last run it could muster in edging the Mohigans, 7-6, in the nightcap, moving its overall record to 12-1.

Trailing, 3-0, after a second straight wobbly start, the Cougars scored at least one run in their first four turns to go in front, 6-3. as the bottom of the batting order used walks and a hit batsman to cram the bases.

Josh Cienfuegos scored twice and Wabnitz had a triple before Morgantown came to life with a three-run inning of its own to draw even at 6-6.

Jefferson High School’s Caleb Shelton passes the baton to Keyshawn Robinson in the first leg of the Morgantown Invitational’s 4 x 200 meter relay, in which Jefferson won, with a time of 1:29.59 minutes. David Pennock

Starting pitcher Roberts went four-plus innings before Horowicz replaced him. In the definitive Jefferson sixth, the first two batters were retired before Wabnitz was hit by a pitch. He stole second and rode home with the go-ahead run on Roberts’ clutch single.

In his third inning of scoreless relief, Horowicz found two-out trouble when a double brought Aaron Jamison to the plate. Jefferson Coach John Lowery wisely chose to intentionally walk Jamison, who already had a home run and double in the nightcap. Horowicz coaxed a high pop fly to the Jefferson catcher from Caleb Cottle to cut short the building drama for a team that had won the opener by 20 runs.

The ground crew had done its magic before the games started. Jefferson had shown even old-timers in the stands offensive stuff they had never seen. And then Wabnitz and Roberts produced a game-winning run that gave relief pitcher Horowicz a winner in the nightcap.

Jefferson High School’s Jasmine Matthews came in fourth place, with a through of 93 feet in the discus competition, at the Morgantown Invitational. David Pennock