CHARLESTON -- East Hardy's Dayton Dove didn't get a hit in the entire òòò½ÊÓƵSSAC Class A state baseball tournament until he had to get the one that mattered the most.
With the Cougars and Madonna tied in the top of the ninth inning on Saturday, Dove singled to plate two runs. East Hardy tallied another to win 10-7 at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston.
"He struggled hitting Thursday and today," Cougars coach Tyler Mongold said of Dove. "I just told him, I said, 'You're due.' He's a hitter. I knew he would come through."
Dove's mindset, he said, was to make contact and put the ball in play.
"I did my job and got the two runners in," Dove said. "Then, my teammate, Mason (Hamilton), hit me in. It felt great."
The Cougars' Shayne Sisler closed the door in the bottom of the ninth to give East Hardy its first state championship since 1987.
"Since 1987, we've been trying to get back here trying to win it," Mongold said. "We've been here eight or nine times, and we haven't gotten through, but it means a lot to the community. The community will be up there when we show up, and they're going to support us."
The Cougars started the season 3-10 but went on to win the state championship with a 14-15 record.
Mongold said East Hardy's grit was the reason for that.
"They knew we were good," Mongold said. "We just had to get healthy at the right time, and they did. We weren't 100% healthy, still today. I had two still hobbling around, but we found a way. Our motto for the season is 'win the inning,' and I thought we did that today."
Dove's hit only added to the slugfest that took place Saturday morning.
The Blue Dons (27-5) put five runs on the scoreboard in the second inning and led 5-0 via an RBI groundout by Sam Brooks, a steal of home plate by Kaiden Wells, a sacrifice fly to plate a run by Jacob Lazear, a wild pitch which scored Maddox Bowen and a run-scoring single by Koleton Grishkevich.
East Hardy made it 5-1 in the fourth as Levi Price came home to score on an error, and the Cougars made it a barnburner in the fifth.
A two-run single by Hamilton and a double to plate another pair by Sisler helped the Cougars tie the contest at 5-5.
Madonna jumped back in front at 7-5 in the fifth as Mathew Geer knocked home two runs with a single, but East Hardy deadlocked the game once again at 7-7 in the sixth thanks to a two-bagger by Hamilton.
Mason Hamilton (one double, five RBIs) and Evan Hamilton paced the Cougars with three hits apiece. Sisler (one double, two RBIs), Mason Wilkins and Patrick Mills each had two hits.
Sisler tossed four innings on the mound and got the win, striking out one batter while giving up two hits and two walks without a run.
Grishkevich led the Blue Dons at the dish, going 3 for 5 with an RBI, while Geer (two RBIs) and Brayden Miller (one double) both had a hit.
David Connors (4 2/3 innings, seven hits, five runs, four earned runs, three walks, three Ks) was tagged with the loss on the hill for Madonna, while Reed Wilharm (4 1/3 innings, seven hits, five runs, four ER, one walk, four Ks) also pitched.
"First of all, I'm super proud of these guys," Blue Dons coach TJ Miller said. "They worked hard all year. It was a heck of a ball game. We had a couple of mistakes here and just needed some more timely hitting, but I can't say enough about how proud I am of these guys. I'm proud of our coaching staff. We had such a good fan base and community support here."
EAST HARDY 000 142 003 òòò½ÊÓƵ” 10 14 0
MADONNA 050 020 000 òòò½ÊÓƵ” 7 5 3
VanMeter, M. Hamilton (2), Sisler (5) and Dove; Wilharm, Connors (5), and Wells.
Hitting: (EH) M. Hamilton 3-6, 5 RBI, R, 2B; E. Hamilton 3-5, 2 R, BB; Sisler 2-5, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K; Wilkins 2-3, R; Mills 2-5, 2 R, K; VanMeter 1-3, R, BB; Dove 1-4, 2 RBI, R, 2 K. (M) Grishkevich 3-5, RBI, R; Geer 1-4, 2 RBI, R, BB; Miller 1-2, 2B, R, 2 BB, Lazear 0-3, RBI, BB; Brooks 0-4, RBI, K.
