CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Having already secured a spot in next week’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, Berkeley County head coach Tripp Tobin had a simple message to his team entering the American Legion Baseball State Championship game Saturday afternoon at the University of Charleston.
“Don’t settle. Or as the junior [Legion] team would say, ‘Leave no doubt’. We didn’t want to leave any doubt. We didn’t want to back into a tournament and be the runner-up. We have come this far and we had pitchers,” Tobin said.
The message was well-received by his Post 14 players as Berkeley County defeated Morgantown Post 2, 10-4 in the title game. Both teams advance to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, August 2-6 at Morgantown’s Dale Miller Field. Morgantown secured a spot by being the tournament host.
In Saturday’s opening contest, Berkeley County defeated South Charleston, 3-2 in an elimination game. Musselman High School graduate Bayden Hartman went the distance on the hill. He did not surrender an earned run.
“We have been hampered by free bases and he is a guy that throws to contact and throws strikes. He has a really nice curveball and his fastball moves,” Tobin said.
With eight base hits in the tournament, Hartman was named the event’s Most Valuable Player.
In the championship game, Berkeley County scored three runs in the second and sixth innings and two runs each in the third and fourth frames. Each batter in the Post 14 lineup reached base at least once. No. 9 batter Jordan Canby had three hits and drove in two runs.
Berkeley County starting pitcher Chase Herndon fought his command in the fourth inning when he allowed three runs. Morgantown pulled within three runs at 7-4. However, the Spring Mills High School graduate settled down and reached the pitch limit one out short of a complete game victory.
“As long as the run support could carry him, we were going to run him out there,” Tobin said of Herndon.
“I felt like he still had confidence in himself. He came in and said, ‘I want to go back out’. He said that he wanted the baseball.”
Berkeley County (24-6) was defeated by Morgantown in the 2019 state championship game.
“It is huge for this program to be able to put ourselves on the map as one of those programs that can compete with anyone in the state.”