East Burke captures Tony Causby Classic crown

It wasn’t always pretty, but the East Burke baseball team found a way to win all three of its games during the seventh annual Tony Causby Classic at Patton High School, ultimately outlasting the host Panthers by a 5-4 final in eight innings on Wednesday night to finish first in the round-robin style tournament.

The other three competing teams — Patton, Freedom, and Ashe County — all posted 1-2 records over the two-day event.

Final game

East Burke 5, Patton 4 (eight innings)

The Cavaliers (15-7) tallied a run in the top of the first when Cannon Morrison recorded a leadoff double and scored on a two-out double from tournament MVP Mason Mosteller, while a two-out, two-run single from Rhett Houston in the sixth plated Owen Hartmann and Gabe Wittenberg to make it 3-0.

Defensive miscues allowed Patton (9-12) to rally in the bottom of the seventh, as Trevor Throneburg reached on a dropped third strike to begin the inning before Landry Duvall legged out an infield single on a soft popup that an EB infielder allowed to drop in front of him, with the subsequent RBI single from Aaron Duncan breaking up the shutout. The Panthers also added an RBI single from Malachi Pearson and an RBI fielder’s choice from Brady Davis later in the frame as they forced extra innings.

EB responded by loading the bases with no outs in the eighth, getting a leadoff single from Wittenberg before Houston walked on a 3-2 pitch and Barger Shook registered a base hit to center. After a strikeout, Patton relief pitcher Laine Barrier tried to pick off Wittenberg at third, but an errant throw plated both Wittenberg and Houston as the Cavs grabbed a 5-3 advantage.

The Panthers pulled within a run on an RBI infield single from Duvall with two outs in the bottom half of the inning. However, following a single to right from Duncan, EB’s Jonas Weidner struck out the ensuing batter to pick up a one-out save and end the game.

“We’ve been talking for a couple weeks about how this time of year being tough is what’s gonna separate you, and we were tough today,” EB coach Allen Wittenberg said. “We weren’t pretty in a lot of cases, but we were tough. … We also said that we want to hopefully play our best baseball in April getting into May, and I hope we’re doing that because now’s the time of year when you want to start clicking. It was really good to do what we had to do in these two days … so I’m really proud of our guys.”

Mosteller earned the win after allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits with 13 strikeouts and no walks in 7 2/3 innings. During his time on the mound, 89 of the 110 pitches he threw were strikes.

“He’s just such a competitor,” said Wittenberg. “He’s one of the four-year guys that’s been in our program … and he just had a lot of guts tonight. It’d have been really easy (to give up) when we kind of went to pieces there and made some miscues, but he wanted the ball back and he was still throwing good stuff. There’s nobody I’d rather have in that spot than him on the mound. He’s been there plenty of times and he knows what it takes to win, and he’s a super competitor and a super good teammate.”

Gabe Wittenberg led all players with three hits, while Morrison and Shook had two apiece and Mosteller, Houston, Weidner, and Colt Butcher each finished with one. Meanwhile, Patton received two hits apiece from Duvall and Duncan and one each from Pearson, Barrier, and Wyatt Hullette.

Cohen Christian pitched six innings for the Panthers, surrendering three runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks before giving way to Barrier (2 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 K, 3 BB).

Other games

In the early game on Wednesday, EB won a 4-3 thriller over Ashe County in 12 innings courtesy of a walk-off single from freshman Maddox Mosteller that scored Weidner with two outs.

“He’s super talented, and beyond that he’s so humble, he’s just such a hard worker,” said Allen Wittenberg of Maddox Mosteller. “And I have a lot of confidence in guys, but there’s nobody I’d rather have at the plate right there. That moment’s not too big for him, and that was a two-strike hit. He knew what he needed to do, and he got a good piece of it and got it done, but we’ve been relying on him all year long and he just keeps coming through.”

Against the Huskies, EB was led by three hits from Weidner (run) and two each from Maddox Mosteller (RBI) and Morrison (run), while Mason Mosteller (run), Gabe Wittenberg (run), Shook (RBI), and Quentin Craig (RBI) registered one apiece. Butcher tossed six innings of three-run (two earned), six-hit ball with four strikeouts and four walks, while Shook earned the win following six innings of scoreless, hitless relief during which he had nine strikeouts, no walks, and a hit batsman.

The Cavs also defeated Freedom by a 14-4 score in five innings on Tuesday, receiving two hits apiece from Mason Mosteller (two RBIs, run) and Craig (RBI, run) to go with one each from Shook (two RBIs, two runs), Butcher (two RBIs, run), Weidner (RBI, two runs), Maddox Mosteller (RBI, run), Wittenberg (RBI, run), and Houston (two runs). Morrison also knocked in a run and scored a pair while adding a game-high two walks and three stolen bases, with Demarcus Ault scoring a run as well.

EB’s winning pitcher on Tuesday was Maddox Mosteller, who gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits with six strikeouts, a walk, and a hit batsman.

On the other side, Freedom was led by three hits from Jonah Griggs (RBI, run), while Kaden Michaels (two RBIs), Kyle Self (solo home run), and Cam Uren each had one hit. Zach Carson scored the remaining two runs for the Patriots.

In Tuesday’s other contests, Patton lost to Ashe by an 8-3 final before bouncing back with a 10-0, five-inning triumph over Freedom in the late game.

Hullette recorded two hits and two RBIs against the Huskies, while Christian had the Panthers’ other hit. And in the win over the Patriots, Patton got two hits apiece from Duvall (RBI, run) and Grayson Sochacki (RBI, run) and one each from Duncan (RBI, run), Barrier (RBI, run), Throneburg, and Pearson (two runs), the latter of whom notched his first varsity hit.

As for Freedom, it was limited to three hits — one each from Griggs, Uren, and Brooks Snipes — against Patton’s Davis, who struck out five with no walks and a hit batsman in a complete-game effort.

And in Wednesday’s remaining contest, Freedom (8-14, 1-9 Northwestern 3A/4A Conf.) nabbed a 5-4 conference victory over Ashe by scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh and winning on a walk-off balk.

Offensive leaders for the Patriots on Wednesday included Carson (two hits, run), Michaels (homer, two RBIs, run), Uren (hit, two runs), Griggs (hit), Carson Wells (hit), Luke Miller (hit), and Zaydrin Hausley (run). Meanwhile, Alex Wall allowed four runs (two earned) on one hit with five strikeouts, six walks, and a hit batsman in 3 2/3 innings before giving way to Self, who earned the win following 3 1/3 innings of scoreless, hitless relief during which he had six strikeouts and five walks.