BLUEFIELD, WV (WOAY) – Saturday night was the decisive Game 3 in the Class AA Region 3 Championship Series. With the series tied at one win apiece, Bluefield and Shady Spring were each vying for a trip to the state tournament.
The Tigers got off to an early 2-0 lead, thanks to a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk.
In the bottom of the second inning, Kerry Collins continued his monstrous postseason, hitting a triple to put the Beavers in front 3-2.
In the top of the sixth, Evan Belcher hit an RBI single to help Shady regain the lead. They would add two more runs in the seventh inning, thanks to a Josh Lovell sac fly and Aden Seabolt RBI single.
Bluefield came within one run in the bottom of the seventh, but David Young secured the final out, pitching a complete game, striking out seven.
“It feels amazing. That was one tough baseball team we just played. I’m just happy we were able to do it and come out on top,” Young said.
Regarding going to states, he added, “If we’re all up together, we’re gonna win every game we play. I don’t care who we play.”
Junior Tyler Mackey explained, “We just play ball. We’ve been the underdog. Nobody expected us to beat Indy, nobody expected us to beat Bluefield, but look where we’re at. We’re on Bowen Field with a regional plaque in our hands. We’ve already proved them wrong twice, why not two more times?”
Shady Spring is headed back to Charleston for the state tournament for the first time since 2019. They will play Logan at Appalachian Power Park on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Belcher said, “I’m so happy. This is the best feeling. I’m so proud of my teammates and everything we’ve done. We’ve worked so hard.”
“Against Indy two weeks ago in sectionals, we were the ones making the double plays and routine plays to get them out of stuff. But today it was kind of happening to us,” Head Coach Jordan Meadows explained. “I told the guys, ‘Look, we’re only down one run.’ It was 3-2 at the time. We just have to find a way to get over the hump.”
“Luckily, we got the bases loaded and made something happen. The rest is history.”
