Photo by Kim North Barton’s Ben Wach slides into home plate as the ball arrives at the same time during fifth-inning action Monday night on Firemen’s Field inside the Maynard Community Park in Game 2 of their Ohio Valley Baseball League semifinal. Wach was safe on the play as the ball skipped past Maynard catcher Mitch Viakley. The Braves won 4-3 to force a deciding Game 3 on Wednesday in Crescent. Looking on are Barton’s Cooper Blackburn and home plate umpire Dave Francis.

MAYNARD — With its backs to the wall, top-seeded Barton needed a good pitching performance Monday night to keep its Ohio Valley Baseball League season alive.

Ben Taylor more than delivered. The former Wheeling Park and Fairmont State righty threw 105 pitches — 65 for strikes — in six innings as the Braves (15-6) forced a Game 3 in the best-of-3 semifinal series against Maynard with a 4-3 victory on Firemen’s Field inside the Community Park.

The decisive Game 3 will be played on Wednesday night at 6 on Henning Field inside Pramesa Park in Crescent. The winner moves on to the best-of-5 championship series against the Bethany-Weirton winner. The championship series will begin next Sunday at 1 p.m. at the remaining higher seed’s home field.

“I threw 112 pitches in my last outing about two weeks ago,” Taylor said. “I didn’t have my best stuff tonight, but it was good enough, I guess. I came through when my team needed me to. It is always a good time in the OVBL.”

Barton manager Billy Timko couldn’t praise Taylor’s effort enough as the Braves are a little short-handed when it comes to moundsmen.

“He wasn’t supposed to go back out after the sixth but he said ‘let me do one more,'” the veteran Barton skipper said. “He gutted it out. I give him a lot of credit.”

Bethany took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Cooper Blackburn singled home Josh Speaker with two outs. Speaker had doubled to deep right-center with one out.

Maynard went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning when Mason VanNest singled to right leading off. He was bunted to second by Cole Micker. Matt Busby beat out a high hopper to short and the fleet-footed VanNest never stopped rounding third and slid in without a throw to tie the game. An error would allow Busby to score.

The Braves pushed three runs across the plate on two hits and a trio of errors by the fourth-seeded Indians (12-9) in the fifth. Jake Winland had a key one-out single to center that scored two runs. He went to second on a throwing error and then raced home on another wild throw with what turned out to be the game-winner.

“We tweaked the lineup a little to get guys in the right spots,” Timko continued. “It worked out for us.”

Maynard threatened in the seventh against reliever Kobe Hill. VanNest singled leading off and Micker drew a walk. However, Hill induced Busby into a fielder’s choice, retired Mason Ramsay on a fly to center and ended the game with a comebacker off the bat of Tyler Ramsay.

“I think the fans got their money’s worth tonight,” Timko added. “That was a great ball game. Both teams played well. This is a natural rivalry.”

Taylor struck out eight, walked three and scattered two singles — one an infield hit. Half of his strikeouts came on called third strikes.

“A huge shoutout to Ben Taylor,” Maynard manager David Vicker said. “Not only did he pitch a heck of a game, but he had a couple of Gold Gloves stops that he turned into outs. He definitely willed them through that game.

“We should have closed the door tonight, but we left it open and now we have to go back to Barton on Wednesday.”

VanNest was the lone player in the game with multiple hits. Zach Smith doubled for one of Barton’s five hits.

The loss went to Mackenzie Koehler in relief of Parker Dyson. Dyson fanned eight and walked three in four innings. He threw 70 pitches, of which 41 went for strikes.

Bethany 9, Weirton 4

AT BETHANY, the Brewers, like the Braves, forced a Game 3 with a victory over Weirton in Game 2 of their best-of-3 semifinal series at Bethany Park.

Nick Leonard improved to 5-0 on the mound this summer while Joey Dawson had multiple hits.

Game 3 is set for Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Weirton on Edwin J. Bowman Field.

OVBL NOTE

— The remainder of the championship series, barring rain, has Game 2 set on Monday, July 21 and Game 3 on Wednesday, July 23. If Game 4 is needed, it would be played on Friday, July 25. Those games have 6 p.m. first-pitches. Should a deciding Game 5 be necessary, it would be played on Sunday, July 27 at 1 p.m.