CUMBERLAND — Both teams finished with seven hits in Wednesday's game, but WVU Potomac State College was the best at taking advantage.

The Catamounts (15-11, 8-8 NJCAA Region 20) turned its seven hits into a 7-0 shutout victory over Allegany College at Steve Bazarnic Field.

 

"Anytime you play Allegany, it's not an easy game," Potomac State head coach Doug Little said. "They're very talented, they're well-coached. So we knew coming in it was gonna be a battle, it always is. It's a tough place to come in and win. I thought our guys did a good job of executing and taking care of the baseball and staying focused."

 

The first big hit came in the top of the fourth inning with two outs.

Seth Healy sent an 0-2 pitch to left center for an RBI single to put Potomac State on the board.

 

"We had the same number of hits as them, just left a lot of guys on base," ACM head coach Mason Heyne said. "If we cash a couple of those in, I think the game's different."

 

Jordan Canby was up next and worked a full count.

He appeared to be hit by a pitch to load the bases, but after a discussion between the umpires, it was ruled he leaned into the pitch as the inning ended.

 

In the top of the fifth, Lex Wescott stepped in with one out.

He sent a fly ball deep into left center that landed in a tree for a two-run blast that extended the Catamounts lead to 3-0.

In the top of the eighth, Healy hit a ground ball into left, scoring two on a double.

The second runner appeared to run into the ball as it was thrown home, but after another lengthy conversation, the umpires ruled both runners were safe as Potomac State's lead grew to 5-0.

 

"We had plenty of opportunities to at least get on the board," Heyne said. "There's a couple plays, I thought missed calls I guess you could say that went against our favor. That happens too, so you gotta bounce back from those. We just got to hit better, it comes down to that. We just got to put the ball in play."

Wescott made it 7-0 later in the inning on a two-run double down the left-field line.

Wescott, Healy and Chris Harbert each recorded three hits for the Catamounts.

Wescott drove in four runs while Healy added three.

 

"Seth is a solid player, he's like having a coach on the field," Little said. "He's very knowledgeable about the game. Knows the ins and outs of it. He's a good player and you couple that with good knowledge of the game, he's a highly successful player. We're glad he's in the program."

For the Trojans (19-17, 16-13 Region 20), the story was the inability to get the big hit.

 

Allegany also had seven hits, but left nine runners on base.

The Trojans stranded two in the fifth and sixth innings.

 

Aidan Sites went six innings as the Catamounts starter, allowing five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

"When his slider's on and he gets it in the zone, he's really tough to hit," Little said. "He's got a good fastball, if he gets his slider across he's going to make it tough on teams. Today, he was able to get it across consistently."

 

Jayden Lester and Chris Harbert combined for three baserunners in the final three frames.

Nick Falla went three innings in a shortened start for the Trojans, only allowing one hit with seven punchouts.

 

Heyne said he wanted to conserve Falla for an upcoming stretch of four games this weekend.

Entering Wednesday, Falla's 1.35 ERA was 10th best in NJCAA Division II.

 

"He throws a lot of strikes, I think that's the key," Heyne said. "He's not worried about throwing the ball super hard, he just wants to command it and do what he needs to do. When you can throw it on each corner, each quadrant, you're going to be successful."

 

Allegany used five other pitchers who combined for seven hits, seven runs and five walks with four strikeouts.

"That's kind of been how we've been all year, kinda a quiet seven runs," Heyne said. "You look up and the game just felt like a 3-0 game the whole time. Then they got a couple runs late. I thought our pitchers did a nice job. The home run was the only ball I thought was hit really well. The rest just found holes, but that happens."

 

Both teams host doubleheaders on Saturday as Allegany plays CCBC Dundalk at noon while Potomac State faces Shenandoah at 1 p.m.

"I really think the people in this area, I hope they know how lucky they are," Little said of the Allegany-Potomac State rivalry. "You got three pretty good junior college baseball teams (including Garrett College) within 30 miles of each other. It's a good rivalry, some rivalries are bitter, this is a good rivalry that's not bitter."