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Fletcher, Morgan muzzle Washington as Jefferson moves to Regional

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | May 19, 2023

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — Jefferson High School is back in the Region 2 Regional baseball tournament, after winning its only two games in the Sectional tournament.

Beating cross-county rival Washington High School 10-3 and 9-0 in the double elimination Sectional, moved the Cougars on to the Regional against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. The rain-marred Sectional between the four Berkeley County schools was uncompleted, with Musselman facing Hedgesville for the championship.

Jefferson will carry a 25-6 overall record into the Regional next week.

It was the stingy pitching of Caleb Fletcher and left-hander Riley Morgan that severely limited Washington’s offense and gave the Cougar lineup the time to find big innings that were then used to move past the Patriots.

Fletcher went the seven-inning distance in the 10-3 win. He allowed only two hits, while fanning four and walking four, in a route-going performance.

Washington threatened with a two-run fourth inning that temporarily brought a 2-2 tie, before the Cougars plated seven runs in the combined innings five and six.

Fletcher, Daquan Shipe and Ty Dunkin had early-game RBIs, before the Patriots fell victim to opportunistic Jefferson base running and their own mistakes, when the Cougars broke away from them. Cole Lewis went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, and Shipe drove in three runs.

It was Morgan who was a never-solved puzzle for the Patriots, in Jefferson’s more comfortable 9-0 win that officially brought the Sectional title.

Morgan limited Washington to only a sixth-inning hit, as he successfully waded through the Patriot lineup, striking out six and never allowing a walk or hit batsman.

Jefferson eased its way to a commanding 8-0 lead, after only three innings of domination.

The Cougars stole four bases, in once again using their oft-patented base running skills.

Ryan Hefner drove in three runs and Morgan helped himself with two RBIs. Morgan had two of Jefferson’s hits.

Jefferson had split two games each in the regular season, with both Musselman and Hedgesville.

The Cougars will take a .273 team batting average into the Regional series.

Morgan leads the tightly bunched group of hitters with his .325 batting average. He drove in 20 runs. Lewis is batting .324 and has scored 27 runs. JJ Polvinale batted .318, with 26 RBIs. Ryan Hefner hit .286, scored a team-high 33 runs and had a team-high 34 RBIs. Josh Cienfuegos batted .273. Fletcher hit .270 and scored 25 runs, while tying with Hefner, with a team-leading six doubles. Shipe batted .255 and Ryan Kelly hit .244.

Jefferson’s climb to the top of the Sectional ladder and the major ingredient in its commanding 25-6 season, was a stable and strike-throwing pitching staff that had reliable starting arms in Fletcher, Morgan, Ryan Kelly, Shipe and Ryan Hefner. All of those most-used starters posted ERAs that were in the sub 3.00 range. All walked very few and had strikeout totals that often equaled the number of innings they threw.

The Cougars are trying to get back to the state tournament in Charleston for the third consecutive year.