4 days ago
Williams' walk-off double lifts Post 2 over Parkersburg Post 15, 5-4
MORGANTOWN – Stepping to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two runners on base and the game knotted at four, Kane Williams wanted a fastball, and he got one.
The Post 2 outfielder drove the first pitch he saw in his fifth at-bat on Thursday night to left-center field, scoring the game-winning run as Parker Jeffries scored from second base, giving Post 2 a 5-4, walk-off win over Parkersburg Post 15 in the opening round of the 2025 WV American Legion Baseball State Tournament.
Williams finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, including the game-winner — his first career walk-off hit.
'I knew he was going to bring a ball up eventually; he was missing low,' Williams said. 'I got my weight back and shot it to the opposite field. Attacking the early fastball is my approach; it's going to be the best pitch you get every at-bat.'
With the win, Post 2 advances in the winner's bracket and will face Charleston Post 65 at 7 p.m. Friday at Dale Miller Field.
Post 2's Parker Jeffries sparked the ninth-inning rally with a one-out single, and Brance McCune reached on a dropped grounder to shortstop, setting the stage for Williams.
Strong relief pitching kept the game tied, giving Post 2 a chance in the ninth. Hayden Jones threw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless ball after a rough sixth, and Tommy Montague closed it out with two shutout innings, striking out two.
'Tommy is our guy in a big spot,' said Post 2 coach Jacob Goodnight. 'Hayden gave us exactly what we needed too — he's a college arm and really stepped up.'
Post 2 jumped out early with a two-run first inning, capped by a sac fly from Montague and an RBI single by Nate Wolfe. Wolfe later added a solo homer in the fourth, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Post 15 battled back with a pair of runs in the third and a game-tying bloop double from Carter Davis in the sixth. But they were shut down the rest of the way.
McCune, who made a diving catch in right field in the eighth and reached base to help set up the winning run, drew praise from Goodnight.
'We don't give Brance enough credit,' he said. 'He does the little things right every time, so we kind of expect him to step up in those moments because we know that he is capable. Honestly, he is often overlooked by many people, including our staff. He just plays hard every day and comes to the ballpark to do his job.'
