Bridgeport Coach Robert Shields has been in the same situation more times than he can remember during his near three decades as a coach. And the situation he’s in is usually good news for the Indians baseball program.

 

This evening, it is win or go home. Of course, a victory puts the Tribe one step away from a chance to head back to Charleston and defend their Class AA state champion. A loss will end the best season – in terms of number of wins – in school history.

 

Standing in the way of Bridgeport is a talented and youthful Liberty squad. While Bridgeport brings in a 32-3 record (prior to Friday’s game with Moorefield), the Mountaineers were at 16-10 prior to a game Saturday.

 

The two teams will battle it out in the Class AA, Region II semifinal at 6:30 p.m. The game is at BHS.

 

“The kids know the only room for error is gone. Now, we have zero room for error and it’s going to be paramount that we stay focused and play like we can,” said Shields. “We need everyone at the top of their game if we want to advance. This isn’t the sectional anymore. If we lose, it’s over.”

 

Bridgeport lost the first game of the sectional tournament by a 4-2 score to Lincoln before bouncing back to beat Robert C. Byrd and then Lincoln twice to advance to tonight’s game. From this point forward, everything is single elimination.

 

Bridgeport already owns a 10-1 win over Liberty back on April 2 second in a game in Clarksburg. However, Shields said it’s a much different team than the one they played nearly two months ago.

 

“They’re scrappy and when you watch them play you can see they’ve got a winning attitude right now,” said Shields. “Liberty started the year a little slow, but they’ve been hot lately and that’s when you want to be hot. I think a big reason for that is that they have a lot of young kids on their team and they’ve gained a lot of experience throughout the year.”

 

As of late last week, Shields wasn’t sure who he would be pitching. He was anticipating Liberty to throw standout Ty Wickline. Both teams should have a full staff of pitchers available.

 

The winner of tonight’s game will compete on the road in the Region II final. That game will be played Thursday at the winner of today’s Petersburg and Frankfort contest.

 

Editor's Note: Photos, including bottom picture of Coach Robert Shields, by www.benqueenphotography.com.