Barton shortstop Jake Winland fields a throw as Wheeling’s Tyler Haskins steals second base during the sixth inning Thursday night in Game 2 of the best-of-5 Ohio Valley Baseball League championship series on the Wheeling University diamond at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex in Elm Grove. The Cardinals won 4-2 and can win the title in a sweep tonight in Crescent. Photo by Kim North

ELM GROVE — Wheeling is in the Ohio Valley Baseball League championship series for the third consecutive summer. However, the Cardinals didn’t own a victory in the two previous best-of-5 series. Now they find themselves one win away from their first title since 2018.

Logan Bennett pitched a complete game and Wheeling scored twice in the sixth inning to snap a 2-all deadlock en route to a 4-2 triumph Thursday night on the Wheeling University diamond at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex.

With the hard-earned victory, the second-seeded Cardinals (14-9) take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 tonight at 6 on Henning Field inside Pramesa Park in Crescent. Should the top-seeded Braves (14-9) extend the series, Game 4 would be contested Sunday at 2 p.m. back in Ohio County. A fifth – and deciding – game is set for Monday night, if necessary, back in Belmont County at 6.

“We’re going to try and not let up because that is a big win,” Wheeling manager Scott Shaw said of the possibility of a sweep. Logan has probably been our most consistent pitcher since we brought him aboard in mid-season. He’s been a stalwart for us.”

Veteran Barton manager Billy Timko was still upbeat despite his team having its backs to the wall.

“It takes three (wins) to win the championship. They’ve only got two,” he said. “That was another good game. We just came up short.”

Trailing 2-0 entering the top of the sixth, Barton scored two unearned runs as Wheeling committed three errors. Colton Coss had an RBI single with one out to knock in Zach Smith. Coss then raced home on an error to tie the game.

Tyler Haskins was hit with a pitch leading off the bottom of the sixth. Josh Schramm then legged out a slow roller to short. With one out, Cody Ray sent a one-hopper to Barton first baseman Dom Gorrence wide of the bag. His toss to pitcher Austin Bassa covering Gamnwas in time to get Ray, but Haskins scampered home from third with what proved to be the game-winning tally.

Bennett helped his own cause by slicing an 0-2 pitch into right that chased home Schramm with an all-important insurance marker.

“My last at-bat I was down 0-2, but I knew we needed an extra run,” Bennett noted. “I was looking for something away that I could slap to right.”

Bennett, an East Liverpool High School and Bethany College graduate, slammed the door with a pop out, strike out looking and a grounder to short. He needed just 86 pitches (63 strikes) in tossing a three-hitter. He struck out six and walked only one.

“I just tried to fill up the strike zone today and get that first pitch for a strike as always,” Bennett said of his outing. “I just tried to get weak contact and sit them down.”

Haskins came across the plate in the fourth on an error to open the scoring. The Cardinals made it 2-0 when Jarrod Jones blasted a one-out double to the gap in left-center. Sonny Peluchette shot a single through the right side of the infield as Jones scored.

Bassa, who threw 109 pitches (63 strikes), probably deserved a better fate. He fanned four and walked three. He scattered five hits.

“We’ve really hit the ball pretty well the last few games, but not tonight,” Shaw admitted. “However, we found a way to win without bashing the ball all around.”

Peluchette was the only player in the game with two hits – both singles.

Shaw said he would give the ball to Ray tonight. Timko will counter with Gavyn Romanyak in a battle of right-handers.

GAME NOTE

– The contest took a mere 1-hour, 44-minutes.

– Barton last won a title in 2020 when it outlasted Weirton in a 5-game thriller.