Sports

After losing five games week before last, the Berkeley Springs baseball team needed some momentum heading into the sectional playoffs. But it wouldn't be easy with the Tribe facing three double headers in four days. They opened the week with a double header sweep of Hancock by respective scores of 6-4 and 16-7, then lost a twinbill at Musselman 4-3 and 15-3, respectively, before ending the season with a sweep of county rival Paw Paw 11-0 and 5-4, respectively, for some much needed momentum as the post-season begins.

Berkeley Springs dream of advancing to the state softball tournament came to an abrupt end last week. The Lady Indians lost to sectional rival Frankfort, two games to one, in the best-of-three Region II, Section I Tournament. Berkeley Springs won the first game 5-4, before losing both the second and third games of the sectional tournament by respective scores of 5-2 and 5-4.

It was a combination of factors that kept the Indians from advancing in post-season play. But, two statistics stick out like a sore thumb. First, Berkeley Springs stranded 32 base runners in the three-game series, including 12 in the third and deciding game and secondly, they committed seven errors in the 5-2 loss and four more errors in their final game of the season.

The Berkeley Springs boys track team won the "big school" division of the Potomac Valley Conference Track and Field Championships held at Berkeley Springs High School on Monday, April 30.

Led by sophomore Lenny Roach and senior Brian Ness, who claimed two individual conference titles each, the Indians scored 132 points to beat the six-team field. Hampshire County was second with 121, followed by Musselman with 111, Keyser with 92, Frankfort with 53 and Petersburg with 15.

Fuel for the fire

West Virginia University's football team is getting lots of love these days. The explosiveness of running back Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White have the Mountaineers in virtually everyone's Top 10 for the upcoming season. The perception of an easy schedule has the Mountaineers on many short lists to appear in the National Championship game in New Orleans next January 8.

Samantha Zahnow and Amanda Waltman limited St. Maria Goretti to two hits, while the Indian offense banged out 11 hits in a 13-0 victory in Hagerstown on Saturday, August 28. The win enabled Berkeley Springs to end the week with three wins against three loses.

The week started with Berkeley Springs losing a 2-1 pitcher's duel in Martinsburg on Monday, April 23.

Beilein gets off easy

That $2.5 million buyout clause John Beilein had in his contract to coach basketball at West Virginia University became smaller last week when Beilein and WVU agreed to settle the matter for $1.5 million.

After just missing titles in each of the past two Tri-State Invitational Track and Field Meets, the Berkeley Springs girls team wouldn't be denied, winning their first-ever Tri-State title in the 21-year history of the event, on Wednesday, April 25 in Hancock, Maryland.

Leading the way was Meghan Mock, voted the most outstanding female track athlete of the meet. Mock won all four events she entered. The 400 meter run in a time 1:01.5, the high jump (5-0), the long jump (15-6.5) and the 100 meter hurdles (16.1).

Berkeley Springs girls and boys tennis teams dropped matches to Clear Spring and St. James Academy last week, with the boys losing both matches 6-1 and the girls dropping both by identical scores of 7-0.

The bright spot for Berkeley Springs was the doubles play of Eric Lyda and Denny Golden. The number one doubles team defeated Andrew Beatte and Cory Shives of Clear Spring 6-3, 7-6 on Tuesday, April 24 in Clear Spring and then defeated Chris Myers and Dean Young of St. James Academy on Thursday, April 26, in Hagerstown, 8-4.

Berkeley Springs baseball team entered last week with a 9-5 record and a ninth place ranking in West Virginia Class AA. Everything was going well and headed in the right direction.

There was still much optimism after the Indians dropped back-to-back games by identical scores of 3-2 to Class AAA powers Martinsburg and Jefferson County. But, the Tribe, which played outstanding games against both the Bulldogs and Cougars, laid an egg in a home double-header to Petersburg, losing by respective scores of 13-3 and 10-6 and then lost a tight road contest to St. Maria Goretti, 4-3, on Saturday, April 28 in Hagerstown, Md.

The Berkeley Springs baseball team climbed to number 10 in the West Virginia Class AA rankings last week. This is quite an accomplishment for a team that had its first winning season in a long time a year ago. So far in 2007, the Indians have an impressive record of 9-5, despite going 2-2 a week ago.