BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
SETH, W.Va. — Tug Valley Lady Panthers moved into the championship round of the sectional tourney with a win at Sherman 7-3 on May 7.
This was an elimination game in the double-elimination event and Tug improved to 20-7 overall and 4-1 in Class A, Region 4, Section 1 play.
The Lady Panthers had lost twice to the Tide during the regular season by scores of 10-1 and 12-8 earlier in the sectionals (12-8) battling their way out of the losers bracket.
The game was tied 3-3, but a four-run rally in the top of the sixth inning gave Coach Rocky Hall’s team a lead they would not relinquish.
Bailee Hall, Haileigh Muncy and Hailey Newsome all had two hits for Tug Valley. Amelya Wellman, Makenna Osborne and Megan Griffey also had hits. Muncy belted a home run while Bailee smacked a double in the game.
Wellman was the winning pitcher in the game for TVHS.
E. Russell was the losing pitcher in the circle for Sherman. S. Drake smacked three hits to lead the Tide, while A. Lovejoy had two hits.
With the win, Tug advanced to play top seed Buffalo (15-11) in the championship round.
Championship game
Buffalo 5, Tug Valley 1
BUFFALO, W.Va. — The Tug Valley Lady Panthers fell 5-1 at Buffalo in the Class A, Region 4, Section 1 championship game May 8.
“The girls had a great season,” Coach Rocky Hall said. “These girls have worked hard and been fun to watch and be around. I wish we could have come up with a win here at Buffalo, but it wasn’t meant to be. Everyone on the team stepped up at tournament time, played through injuries and illnesses, and stepped up their games to support each other. They are an exceptional group of young ladies.
He added, “Our seniors Millie, Tailyn, Megan, Haileigh Muncy, Jesse and Laura will be hard to replace going forward. They will be missed.”
Several starters will return next season, along with “a great group of girls wanting to play,” Hall said.
“We also have a good group of players coming from Kermit and Lenore. If they work hard, we can be a good team next year too. God did bless us with a great year and I hated to see it end.”
Tug Valley finished the season with a fine 20-8 record. The Lady Panthers were 4-2 in sectional tournament play.
Buffalo took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Tug Valley tied the game in the top of the fourth at 1-1.
Buffalo took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth and added three more runs in the sixth to pull away.
Tug Valley was only able to muster four hits. Haileigh Muncy, Tailyn Russell, Makenna Osborne and Jessica Spaulding each had hits. Muncy smacked a double for her hit.
Amelya Wellman took the loss in the circle for the Lady Panthers.
K. Dillman was the winning pitcher for Buffalo, striking out 11 batters and giving up only one earned run. Her team had a balanced offensive attack with seven hits by seven different players.
TVHS took out Van, Man and Sherman in elimination games. The sectional runner-up finish matches the 23-13 team in 2019, which also finished second.