Photo by Kim North Barton starting pitcher Gavyn Romanyak delivers to the plate Wednesday night during Game 3 of an Ohio Valley Baseball League semifinal playoff best-of-3 series against Maynard on Henning Field inside Pramesa Park. He had allowed one hit and struck out two before rain halted play with the Braves leading 2-0 in the top of the third inning. It will be resumed Thursday at 6 o’clock.

CRESCENT — Mother Nature was the big winner Wednesday night as Game 3 — the deciding game — in both Ohio Valley Baseball League semifinal playoff series were suspended due to inclement weather that rolled across the Ohio Valley.

Both contests were under way and will resume at 6 p.m. Thursday from the point where they were stopped. The two winners will advance to the best-of-5 championship series, which is set to start Sunday at 1 p.m. at the higher remaining seed’s home field.

The top-seeded Braves (15-6) scored single runs in the first and second innings as they looked to advance to the finals for the second consecutive summer. They fell to Wheeling in last year’s championship series and were also runner ups to Maynard in 2021.

Kobe Hill drew a leadoff walk from Maynard starter Mason VanNest. He advanced to third on a single to left by Jake Winland, who alertly took second when the throw went to third. With one out, Josh Speaker’s grounder to short was thrown home as Hill broke on contact. The ball skipped away as Hill slid in safely.

Zach Smith started the Barton second inning with a leadoff single and advanced to second when the ball was dropped in right-center. With one out, Ben Wach walked, but ball four bounced out of play as Smith raced home, making it 2-0.

Andy Bailer would take over for VanNest at that point. The recent Wheeling Central graduate escaped the inning without further damage.

Buckeye Local alum Gavyn Romanyak retired the first six Maynard (12-9) batters he faced before yielding a leadoff single in the third to Mackenzie Koehler. Shortly thereafter, lightning lit up the sky and then the skies opened up with heavy rains.

Romanyak had two strikeouts.

The fourth-seeded Indians, who won Game 1 by a 2-0 count on Sunday, are trying to advance to the finals for the first time since winning three straight crowns from 2021-23.

Bethany 4, Weirton 3

AT WEIRTON, the third-seeded Brewers (15-9) led the No. 2 A’s in the bottom of the fourth when rains stopped play on Edwin J. Bowman Field.

Weirton was in the finals in 2020 when it fell to Barton in a thrilling five-game series.