SHORT GAP, W.Va. — Across his final three innings, Frankfort starter Lanson Orndorf faced the bases loaded twice and two on once.
Orndorf put three zero’s on the scoreboard, stranding all eight runners and leading the No. 3 Falcons to a 4-2 win over No. 1 Keyser on Wednesday.
“There’s two really good baseball teams on the field, and both are gonna have to play two or three more times,” Frankfort head coach Matt Miller said. “Whichever one comes out of here has a shot to win the whole thing. It’s a huge win for us, a big win against our rival. That’s the biggest thing, it’s our rival. We don’t like them, they don’t like us.”
Keyser’s 13-game win streak was snapped.
The Falcons (11-6) led 4-1 heading into the fifth, but the Golden Tornado (13-2) loaded the bases with nobody out.
Lucas Williamson and Noah Broadwater sent grounders into left, then Chase Davis sent the first pitch he saw on a line drive to center for Keyser’s third consecutive hit.
After a foul tip strikeout, Frankfort pulled off one of several key defensive plays from the outfield.
On a fly ball deep to right, Uriah Cutter made the catch, then launched a perfect throw to home plate to get the runner for a double play to end the inning.
“We put pressure on them, just couldn’t get the hit when we needed to,” Keyser head coach Scott Rohrbaugh said. “We had bases loaded a couple times, just couldn’t get a hit at the right time.”
The Tornado put two runners on in the sixth on a walk by Bubba Bean and a Josh Shoemaker base hit.
With two outs, a wild pitch sent Bean to third, but a groundout stranded both runners.
“We had nine hits, put the ball in play several times,” Rohrbaugh said. “We hit a lot of at’em balls, they hit the ball hard as well, it’s baseball.”
Broadwater led off the top of the seventh and sent a ground ball down the third-base line for a hit.
Orndorf left after six innings and 102 pitches as Cam Lynch took over.
Orndorf allowed nine hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Both of his credited runs were unearned.
“He’s a bulldog, his desire to win, that’s just what he loves to do,” Miller said. “He got some guys on and battles out of it, he’s done it for two years. He’s only a sophomore, the fact he shows that grit and determination is impressive.”
Hunter Harr drew a walk, then a hit batter loaded the bases with one out.
After an infield fly popup for the second out, a wild pitch scored Broadwater from third.
On a full count, Lynch got a swinging strikeout to earn the save.
Keyser loaded the bases in the top of the first and scored on an RBI single from Bean.
Frankfort answered in the bottom of the first.
Jacob Nething hit a fly ball to left center that the left fielder was unable to field cleanly.
Nething was credited with a hit, but no RBI as the Falcons tied the game at 1.
“Jacob in center field’s been excellent all season, he’s been a really good defensive player,” Miller said. “Offensively, he’s come through a bunch. Laced that shot into left field which was big to get that run back.”
The third inning ended up being the difference in the game.
With one on, Blake Jacobs sent the first pitch into left center for an RBI double to put Frankfort up 2-1.
A sacrifice fly for Cutter and a Jaxon Hare RBI single past first base pushed the Falcons lead to 4-1.
Frankfort’s outfield had several key plays beginning in the first inning.
Nething made a sliding catch to end the second inning. One inning later, Davis doubled to left, but left fielder Jesus Perdew threw him out at third.
Perdew started the year at catcher but has recently played in left and right field along with pitching.
“Coming in as a freshman and contributing like he has, the game’s not bigger than him,” Miller said. “A lot of times when you play younger kids, the game gets bigger than them. There hasn’t been a game this year that’s been bigger than him.”
Keyser’s defense turned three double plays, none as important as in the fourth inning.
After a ground ball from second to first got the first out, Harr’s throw to catcher Rotruck got the runner at home.
“Both of them were big, they had guys on with no outs,” Rohrbaugh said. “They were big to keep the game where it was so we had a shot.”
Patrick Liller went three innings for the Tornado, allowing four runs (all unearned), four hits and four walks.
“He’s a contact pitcher, there’s a few plays we didn’t make the plays behind him,” Rohrbaugh said.
Broadwater took over and allowed one hit and two walks in the final three innings.
Davis led Keyser with three hits while Broadwater added two.
Nething led Frankfort with a pair of hits and a walk.
On Thursday, the Golden Tornado play at Southern while the Falcons host Mountain Ridge. Both games begin at 4:30 p.m.
“It’s a huge game, that last out’s always hard to get,” Miller said. “If you follow the rivalry the last three to five years, that last pitch is a big one.”
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