SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — Strike-throwing pitchers continued to give Jefferson low-run efforts as the Cougars twice defeated county rival Washington in the postseason.

Limiting the Patriots two runs in its first game of the Sectional tournament, the Cougars then eliminated Washington in a 3-1 win that sent them forward into the double-elimination Regional tournament that is scheduled to begin on Monday, at Sager Field. The second Regional game is scheduled to be played in Martinsburg.

Jefferson received game-altering pitching in its 2-1 and 3-1 wins over the Bulldogs during the regular season.

Jefferson’s current winning streak reached 11 games since it returned home from a four-game stand during Spring Break in Myrtle Beach. Counting a win over Logan in its final game in Myrtle Beach, the Cougars have won 12 straight times.

The Cougars will carry a 31-3 record into the Regional against the Bulldogs, now 23-7 overall after prevailing in a Sectional that had Musselman, Hedgesville and Spring Mills.

Against Washington in the latest of the four games the two teams had, Jefferson used the calming pitching of Sammy Roberts in the first game and then the combined efforts of Jarrett Day, Riley Morgan and Griffin Horowicz in eliminating the Patriots, 3-1.

Combined, Day (four innings, four hits, an unearned run), Morgan (1.1 innings, one hit) and Horowicz (1.2 innings, one hit) limited the Patriots to six hits.

Jefferson’s first-inning run held up until Washington posted an unearned run in the third to make it 1-1. Scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth brought the Cougars the win.

Kellen Kinsler (two hits and a walk) and Ryan Hefner (1-for-3) had the Jefferson RBIs. Horowicz was 2-for-2 with Connor Bailey and Roberts getting the other Jefferson hits.

In 25 of its 34 games, Jefferson pitching allowed three runs or fewer. There were seven shutouts and nine games where the pitching allowed only one run.

Roberts’ six wins were the most on the stingy staff. Day had a 5-0 record as did Horowicz, who also recorded four saves. Morgan has a 4-0 record entering the Regional and junior Daquon Shipe is 4-1. Shipe authored the team’s only no-hitter in a 1-0 win and completed the pre-Regional portion of the schedule with a 1.35 earned run average.

In statistics compiled before the playing of the Sectional, Roberts posted a .382 batting average with 27 RBIs. Bailey batted .381, scoring 42 runs and driving in 25. Sam Wabnitz, hit .361 with 32 RBIs and 32 runs scored. Horowicz hit .330 with 33 RBIs and scored 28 times. Kinsler scored 26 runs while batting .323 and Noah Carter hit .315. Hefner scored 24 runs.

Pitching depth got the Cougars this far.

Elsewhere around the state, defending Class AAA state champion Bridgeport won its Sectional and moved on to Regional play. Highly regarded and highly ranked Hurricane disposed of Ripley and entered a best-of-three Regional series against Cabell Midland.

Four teams qualify for the state tournament in Charleston. The state tournament is single elimination.

It’s not “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain” with the Cougars, but their pitchers have comprised the deepest staff in the state in 2022.