By Dan Stillwell
Register-Herald Sports Writer
—
A 16-5 loss Wednesday to Chillicothe was just yesterday’s news to the West Virginia Miners.
Manager Tim Epling saw it in warm-ups.
“During the stretching routine, somebody had a football, and they started playing two-hand touch,” Epling said. “I like that sort of thing. It kept them loose. Then we started batting practice, and they put their game face on.”
The Miners were all business as they held that same Chillicothe team to just six hits in a 3-2 victory Thursday at Linda K. Epling Stadium.
West Virginia, already assured of a spot in Monday’s Prospect League playoffs, had nine hits and came from behind twice against the Paints.
The Miners also received excellent work from three relievers, including Oak Hill’s Tyler Zimm, in keeping Chillicothe off the scoreboard after the fourth inning.
“We had timely hitting and great pitching today,” Epling said. “When you squeak out games like this in a pressure-type atmosphere, it’s a good way to get ready for the playoffs.”
West Virginia starter Shane Miller gave up just two hits through three-plus innings of work but walked five batters.
The Paints scored a run in the third when Andrew Ciennik walked and Steve Anderson singled him home.
They added another in the fourth when Brad Clement ripped a solo home run to left-center to open the fourth. Miller then walked Brian Suerdick, and Epling brought in Zimm (1-0).
The right-hander, who will be a sophomore at Concord in the fall, pitched the next four innings. He allowed two hits while walking none, hitting a batter and striking out three.
When Drew Dosch led off the top of the eighth with a line-drive single to right, Epling brought in staff ace Jared Messer, normally a starting pitcher.
“Jared needed to get some work in,” Epling said. “He had pitched a great game against Chillicothe the last time he faced them. He came in throwing strikes. We couldn’t afford any walks.”
Messer worked the next 1 2-3 innings, striking out four batters before giving up back-to-back hits against Greg Solomon and Andrew Ciennik.
Epling went back to the mound and replaced Messer with top reliever Jesse Fernandez, who had five saves but had also walked in the winning run in an earlier stint against the Paints.
Fernandez worked Dosch to a 3-2 count, then induced him to ground out to shortstop.
“I think this will help Jesse a little bit. He had struggled that one game,” Epling said. “He came in throwing strikes and made them swing the bat.”
Shortstop Zack Tanner and center fielder Paul Rambaud combined for five of West Virginia’s hits.
Tanner doubled in the first inning, and drove in Rambaud, who had singled in the third, to make it 1-1.
Designated hitter Abe Ruiz hit a bloop single to center in the sixth and scored on first baseman John Spirk’s double to right in the sixth to once again tie the count at 2-2.
The Miners finally went ahead in the seventh when second baseman Sam Frost hit a one-out double, and all-star catcher Clay Prestridge brought him in with a single to left.
Tanner, who had three hits, is now batting .312. Blake Roberts, who was 0 for 4, leads the team with a .335 average.
“If you take a look at our lineup the last seven games, the majority of our players are hitting close to .300 in that lineup,” Epling said. “That tells you we’re peaking at the right time.
“Our No. 1 goal is to get the guys swinging at good pitches, to stay healthy and to play good, solid, fundamental baseball.”
The Miners did just that, turning three double plays on the night.
West Virginia, the Prospect League first-half East Division champion, will conclude the regular season on the road in Pennsylvania with a game today at Butler and one Saturday at Slippery Rock.
They’ll host the East’s second-half champion, either Slippery Rock or Butler, Monday night at Epling Stadium in a league semifinal.
— E-mail: dstillwell@register-herald.com
West Virginia Miners 3, Chillicothe Paints 2
C: 001 100 000 — 2 4 0
WV: 001 001 10x — 3 9 0
C: Keenan White, David Fathalikhani (7)), Alex Cillo (8) and Brian Suerdick; WV: Shane Miller, Tyler Zimm (4), Jared Messer (8) and Jesse Fernandez (9). WP — Zimm. LP — White. Hitting — C: Drew Dosch 1-4, Clay Ragland 1-4, Steve Anderson 1-3 (rbi), Brad Clement 1-3 (hr, rbi, run), Greg Solomon 1-4, Andrew Ciennik 1-3; WV: Clay Prestridge 1-3 (rbi), Zack Tanner 3-3 (rbi), Abe ruiz 1-4 (run), John Spirk 1-4 (2b, rbi), Paul Rambaud 2-3 (run), Sam Frost 1-3 (2b, run).
