Photo by Kim North Maynard’s Hunter Westlake trots toward home plate after belting a solo home run Friday.

MAYNARD — The champs are still alive.

Three-time Ohio Valley Baseball League kingpin Maynard forced a deciding third game with a gut-check, 5-3, victory over Wheeling Friday night on sun-soaked Firemen’s Field inside the Community Park in rural Belmont County.

The win evened the best-of-3 semifinal series at a game a piece, with Game 3 set for Sunday at 4 p.m. on the Wheeling University diamond at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Ballfields in the Elm Grove section of Wheeling.

The third-seeded Indians (11-9) jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings and then relied on the pitching of Rhys Francis and Joe Myers in staving off elimination.

Maynard took a 2-0 lead in its first at-bat as Matt Busby drew a leadoff walk and stole second. With one out, Tyler Ramsay ripped a shot that caromed off the third baseman and rolled into shallow left as Busby moved to third. With two out, Ramsay stole second before Ryan Florence walked on a 3-2 offering from Cardinals starter Cody Ray that loaded the bases. Kaden Banal’s slow roller to the right side was thrown wildly to first as Busby and Ramsay scored. Florence was thrown out trying for third to end the inning.

The hosts upped the margin to 3-0 in the second as Mason VanNest led off with a single, stole second and was given third on a balk. He raced home when Eric Banal lined out to center.

The lead became 4-0 when Tyler Tonkavich tripled down the line in right leading off the third. Ramsay’s grounder to second scored the run.

“It was huge for us to score first,” Maynard player/manager David Vicker said. “We couldn’t afford to fall behind and have to battle back.”

Francis, a Shadyside graduate who will be a junior at LSU-Shreveport next season, pitched the first five innings, giving up two singles, striking out half-a-dozen and walking a pair. He pitched out of a second-inning jam before giving up an unearned run in the fourth and Sonny Peluchette’s two-out RBI single in the fifth.

He threw 84 pitches (53 strikes) in his first OVBL playoff appearance.

“I just wanted to come in and help the team get a win,” Francis said. “The guys played well, defensively, behind me. My fastball was working well early and my slider was pretty good late. The splitter also helped out late.”

Myers, a former John Marshall product, struggled in his two innings of work, but battled through to earn the save.

He walked two of the first three hitters he faced before striking out the next two.

“I wasn’t commanding my velocity very well but I could throw my fastball anywhere I wanted,” Myers explained. “I just battled through it.”

Hunter Westlake gave the Indians an insurance tally when he unloaded a mammoth home run to deep left-center in the sixth that cleared the run behind the fence.

“I was looking for anything I could hit. I wasn’t trying to do too much,” Westlake admitted. “I got a curve and I knew it was gone when it left the bat.”

Myers allowed a single and a walk to start the seventh and both runners advanced on an errant pickoff throw to second. Peluchette’s fly ball to center drove in Logan Bennett, but Myers fanned the next batter and induced a game-ending fly to center.

“Same thing as the sixth,” Myers said. “I grinded through it.”

Ray was the tough-luck loser. The Union Local graduate gave up just three hits in six innings. He fanned half-a-dozen and issued a pair of free passes. He threw 75 pitches, with 51 being strikes.

“Cody pitched well. He didn’t have his best stuff to start, but he battled and kept us in the game,” Wheeling manager Scott Shaw said. “We chipped away but couldn’t get the big hit in the sixth or seventh when we needed it.”

Moundsville 11, Barton 5

GLEN DALE – The fourth-seeded Expos (10-11) forced a third, and deciding, semifinal game with No. 1 Barton (13-9) by scoring in five of the first six innings on the John Marshall High School diamond Friday.

That contest is set for 1 p.m. Sunday on Henning Field inside Pramesa Park in Crescent.

Izaak Babiczuk drove in four runs with a single and double to lead the 12-hit Moundsville attack. John Santimarino drove in two with a pair of singles and a double, while Ricky Szeligo and Bryce Rayl each singled two times, with Szeligo driving in a run. Russ Schwertfeger hit a solo home run.

Matt Brooks was the winning pitcher.

Will Morrow singled and doubled to drive in a run for Barton. Colton Coss singled twice and Aaron Marovich knocked in two runs with a single. Ben Wach and Cooper Blackburn each singled in runs.

The best-of-5 championship series will begin Tuesday at the higher seeded team’s home field. Game 2 is Wednesday, with Game 3 on Friday. Game 4, if needed, will be played Sunday, July 21, with Game 5, if needed, on Monday, July 22. All weekday games begin at 6 p.m., with the Sunday contest at 1 p.m.