EDITOR'S NOTE: During the 2017 calendar year, Bridgeport High School captured one state title. And that title was the fourth in a row for the Indians baseball team. The solo title puts them at the top of the sports pile for the year.

 

When does 12+2 = 4? It’s not the new math. It’s actually history.

 

The history was made thanks to Bridgeport High School’s run today to its fourth-straight Class AA state championship with a 14-3 win over Weir at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston. The math comes from 12 innings of pitching over two games at the state tournament and only allowing two earned runs to cruise to the title – their fourth straight.

 

Thanks to another dominant pitching effort today, the Indians became the first team in West Virginia history to win four state titles in a row. The marks stands for teams in all three classifications.

 

“This is a great,” said veteran Coach Robert Shields, who has six state titles to his credit in 31 years of coaching. “This is a group that worked their butts off. Not that the other (state title teams) didn’t, but these kids had to become better at a lot of things because we graduated nine seniors. And we did.

 

“For the rest of their lives, they’ve always got this historical moment to remember because they’re the first team that’s ever done it and no one can take that away from them. They should be proud of that fact because I’m proud of them,” Shields said. “What’s really great is they followed a senior group that won so many things and decided that if they stuck together they could make their own mark and that’s what they did. They made history.”

 

For the second straight days the Indians got a strong pitching performance that set the stage for the win. This time, it was junior right hander Braden Lesher who did the honors for the Indians.

 

Lesher was in control throughout the majority of the game. He allowed just four hits and three runs – only two of which were earned – to go along with two walks and four strikeouts. Outside of minor trouble in the fifth inning, Lesher either was never in trouble or managed to work his way out of it.

 

“He was on top of it. He threw well throughout and just settled down,” said Shields. “Doing that in the state title game says a lot about how strong he was on the mound today.”

 

Of course, there was plenty of room for error. The offense that struggled in Bridgeport’s 4-0 semifinal win Friday was in a groove today.

 

“Our questions marks at the plate were very much answered today,” said Shields.

 

By game’s end, the Indians had collected 10 base hits. Of that total, the Tribe managed to bang out three triples. To compound matters, the Red Riders committed five errors, walked five batters, had three wild pitches, a passed ball and hit one batter as the Indians forced their foe to use three pitchers.

 

Weir actually started the game on a positive note. The leadoff batter Donavan Spencer hit a dribbler up the third base line for an infield hit, but as was the case in the semifinal win over James Monroe, Bridgeport’s defense erased any potential damage. With a hit and run on, the next batter hit a fly ball to Gordon Swiger who drilled it back to first to double off Spencer and put water on the early burn by the Red Riders.

 

“It’s always good for a pitcher in a big outing like this to get out of an inning early without any trouble. That line drive and double play was a huge help. If (Lesher) had any nerves out there, that play eased the pressure,” said Shields.

 

If Weir thought its luck was bad early on offense, it was going to find out the double play was a harbinger of things to come as BHS was about to get all the offense it needed to win the game before three outs were recorded. The Indians would strike offensively and the WHS defense would aid and abet what would turn into a four-run first inning by the Tribe.

 

J.T. Harris got things going with a leadoff single to right field. Things seemed harmless enough when the next batter, Koby Kiefer, laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning. However, an alert Harris noticed no one was covering third on the bunt and headed over there when a throw from first base was off the mark and Harris headed home and slid safely head first for the game’s first run.

 

The miscue would be the first of three in the inning for the Red Riders. All would leave the door open for the aggressive and opportunistic Indians.

 

With one down Drew Hefner kept things going with a sharp single to left. Brice Haines (Hefner’s courtesy runner), who made it to second on a stolen base, looked like he may be stranded there as Red Riders’ starting pitcher Matthew Komoroski got a strikeout for the second out of the frame.

 

Unfortunately a routine play on a grounder by Cooper Hineman turned sour for Weir when the throw to first was in the dirt and Hineman was safe. Haines, running full throttle on the play, came around from second to score the second run of the contest.

 

If Weir believed the worst was over, Swiger had other ideas. Swiger, who dominated from the mound but didn’t bat on Friday, made the most of his first appearance at the plate in the state tournament. The senior drilled an offering to the outfield that got past the right fielder and Swiger turned on the jets.

 

With Hineman already home, the relay throw was off target to the cutoff man as Swiger hit third. Shields opted to wave Swiger home and the throw wasn’t close. As a result Swiger had an RBI triple and scored on the miscue and the Indians had a 4-0 lead after one inning of play.

 

The outing not only gave BHS a big early advantage, but chased Komoroski who would be tagged with the setback. He was replaced by his brother Tyler after that. He wouldn’t fare much better.

 

Things would get worse for Weir in the bottom of the second. Tyler Pitzer, who entered the game for Harris who injured his hand scoring in the first frame, walked with one out and was then replaced by Harris who re-entered.