Box Score The Yellow Jackets rallied from 4-1 down to defeat Shepherd 5-4 in 10 innings to repeat as Mountain State Conference baseball champions Sunday in Beckley.
Following a similar pattern as the first game of the day the Yellow Jacket bats were mainly silent for the bulk of the contest.
They trailed 4-1 going into the eighth inning.
A leadoff home run from Tyler Payne made the score 4-2. Trenton Porter and Phillip Mandt each reached on an error but the Jacket could not capitalize.
In spite of the sunshine and bright blue sky things still looked bleak for WVSU entering the ninth.
The leadoff hitter flied out leaving the Rams two outs from victory.
But freshman Brandon Wright coaxed a walk.
Then shortstop Cody Smith lifted a high fly over the left field wall to tie the score.
Like the rest of the exhausted WVSU pitching staff reliever Josh Falbo was working beyond his normal limit of two innings and had to fight his way out of a jam in teh bottom of the ninth as SHepherd runners were camped out at first and third when he drew a groundout to Smith.
That set up another dramatic inning in the 10th.
WIth one out Josh Kiser singled to center and Mandt was hit by a pitch.
After an infield popup made it two outs Jordan SImpson hit a high bouncer up the middle that the Rams' shortstop fielded behind the mound and threw wide right of first base allowing Kiser to come around to score what proved to be the game winning run.
With Falbo visibly tiring the Rams loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the 10th.
Chase Hoffman pinch hit for Shepherd and ran the count full.
The next pitch came in waist high over the inside part of the plate and Hoffman lined it down the third base line where Kiser reached up to make a jumping grab and the dove onto third to double off the runner and end the game.
Tyler Thompson was named tournament MVP. He threw a nine inning shutout win on Friday, picked up another win in Sunday's first game when he pitched a perfect 10th inning and then allowed just one run in five innings of work in the title game. Over a three day period he threw 199 pitches.
 

Game 1 highlights -- https://youtu.be/nRQOEOLaBgQ

 

Game 2 highlights -- https://youtu.be/ToBwzyA_bkc