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Down go Yellowjackets

Ravenswood rallies past Williamstown in sectional

RON JOHNSTON The Marietta Times Williamstown's Mason Adkins (17) slides home safely on a wild pitch during a high school baseball sectional tournament game against Ravenswood Saturday.

RAVENSWOOD — Williamstown High couldn’t get the Swain brothers out.

Chase Swain had three hits, including a home run, and pinch-hitter Hayden Swain singled home the game-winner as host Ravenswood High had to stage a seventh-inning rally to edge the Yellowjackets, 6-5, in a Class A sectional baseball final Saturday.

“I was pretty nervous up at the plate,” said Hayden Swain, a sophomore. “I was looking for a fastball and it felt good when I hit it.”

Swain was mobbed by his Red Devil teammates after plating Ciah Kennedy with a two-out, two-strike single to center.

“He did pretty good,” said Chase Swain, a senior and Glenville State recruit. “He was cutting it close, though.”

With the victory, Ravenswood, No. 3-ranked in Class A with a 22-8 record, claimed its third straight sectional crown. Stephen Dawson was also a tough out as he went 3 for 3 and plated two runs to tie the game in the seventh. Kennedy added two hits.

Lakin Tucker got the win in relief of Chase Swain, who finished with nine strikeouts.

Williamstown, No. 6-ranked in Class A with a 25-7-1 mark, exits tournament play.

“It was fun coaching these guys,” said WHS skipper Terry Smith. “They played some good baseball.”

Added Smith, “It was close, and we just couldn’t do it for seven innings. We had a shot and some opportunities. We took advantage of some, and some we didn’t.”

Leewood Molessa was 3 for 4 with a double and RBI to lead the Yellowjackets. Mason Adkins, Cullen Cutright and Ethan Tawney each had a double, while Evan Amos was 1 for 1 with two walks.

Nate Suprano suffered the mound setback in relief of Cutright, who finished with seven whiffs.

Williamstown staked itself to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first when Cutright doubled home Bradan Mullenix.

But in the bottom half of the frame, after Tucker singled, Swain blasted a two-run homer to right center to make it 2-1.

In the fifth, Adkins walked, stole second, and legged it home on Molessa’s single to center, making it 2-2.

The following frame, the Yellowjackets took the lead on Tawney’s run-scoring double.

But RHS came back and knotted the game a second time at 3-all on Jake Greene’s run-scoring two-base hit. The Red Devils had runners on third and second with nobody out when Suprano got the ball for the Jackets. The senior righty proceeded to retire the first two batters he faced on groundouts.

Then, after walking Blake Bennett intentionally to load the bases, Suprano got Tucker on a grounder to short.

“Nate’s been money for us,” Smith said. “He’s done well. He came in and threw strikes, and that’s all you can ask for.”

In the top of the seventh, Adkins got things started with a double. The Yellowjacket center fielder then moved up a base on Molessa’s third hit of the contest, a single to left. He then hustled home on a Tucker wild pitch, and courtesy runner Caleb Stansberry also came around to score on an errant Red Devil throw to third, making it 5-3.

Rallying in the bottom of the seventh, Chase Swain singled, Andrew Anglin singled, and Kennedy beat out a bunt to fill the bases for Dawson. Dawson’s two-run single tied the game at 5-5.

“We just had to get guys on base,” said Ravenswood boss Wes Swain. “All year long, these guys have scored runs in bunches. It was just a matter of time of putting something together and getting some guys in.”

Bearing down, Suprano got a strikeout and a groundout — and needed one more out to send the game into extra innings.

Stepping into the batter’s box for RHS was the left-handed-swinging Hayden Swain, pinch-hitting for Ethan Mahan.

“Hayden’s one of these guys that a lot of people don’t know about,” Wes Swain said. “He’s real calm and cool. He doesn’t get real emotional. He had a great round of BP (batting practice) yesterday (Friday).”

Suprano got two strikes on the younger Swain before the Red Devil batter made contact with a hard-hit shot up the middle.

“All he has to do is hit one through the infield,” the elder Swain said. “And he got the job done. I’m super proud of him as a coach and as a dad.”

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