Lookout Vienna!

You’re about to be invaded by Logan County for the second straight season.

County trio Logan, Man and Chapmanville wrapped up bids to the upcoming state softball tourney after winning regional championships on Thursday night on the road.

Man, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class A and the two-time defending state champions, secured a trip to the state tourney with a 9-2 win at No. 9 Buffalo on Thursday night in the Region 4 championship game.

No. 7-ranked Chapmanville, which won the Double-A state title last season, advanced to Vienna with Thursday night’s 4-0 win at No. 2-ranked Herbert Hoover in a mild upset. The win also broke Chapmanville’s state championship jinx which had hampered the program over the last decade.

In Class AAA, No. 4-ranked Logan also punched a ticket to the state tournament after knocking off unranked Nicholas County, 6-0, in the Region 3 final at Summersville.

The Lady Billies, Lady Cats and Lady Tigers made history last season by all making it to the state tournament as Logan County schools were a perfect 3-for-3 in fielding teams for the Big Dance.

Man, Chapmanville and Logan have made it happen for a second straight year.

n The Lady Billies improved to 23-5 on the season with the win over the Bison as senior all-state pitcher Marlena Frye pitched the win within the circle.

Man heads to the state tourney riding an eight-game winning streak.

The Lady Billies are scheduled to open play in the state tourney next Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Vienna’s Jackson Memorial Park against the Region 1 champion, either No. 8 St. Marys or Weirton Madonna. Man beat St. Marys twice earlier in the season at Buffalo’s Best of the Best Tournament by scores of 7-4 and 4-0.

The other Class A first-round game pits the Region 2 champion, either No. 4 East Hardy or No. 7 South Harrison, against the Region 3 champion, No. 10 Fayetteville. The Lady Billies beat Fayetteville, 9-0, during the regular season in the Buffalo tourney.

A first-round victory by Man would put the Lady Billies into a 7 p.m. winners bracket game next Wednesday night.

Two wins would put Man into the Class A state championship game, which is set for next Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

Frye and Paige Stacy, another senior, were the difference for Man in last night’s game.

Frye went the distance to record the win while Stacy blasted a home run to lead the offensive attack.

Seniors Tabby Johnston and Malorie Vance also anchored the defense with surperb play all night long.

Man took the lead for good in the bottom of the first inning with Frye’s RBI single to make it 1-0. Frye later scored with two out on a wild pitch from Lady Bison hurler Tara Mays to give MHS a 2-0 lead at the end of the first frame.

Buffalo cut the Man deficit to 2-1 in the top of the third inning off Frye.

Julia Casto led off the inning with a single up the middle and later scored on a two-out single off the bat of Casey Cunningham.

Man broke the game open in the home half of the third inning, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring five runs to take a commanding 7-1 lead. The big blow was a two-run homer by Stacy. Vance also had a two-run single during the inning.

In the top of the fourth, Buffalo cut it to 7-2 as Leslie Harris tripled and later scored on a fielder’s choice.

The Lady Billies pushed their lead to 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth frame on an RBI single by freshman Emily Osborne.

Frye closed the door on the Lady Bison and Man added its final run of the game in the sixth inning of play as Frye and Vance led off with walks and Frye later scored on an error to make it 9-2

Frye fanned Lauren Hunt and Hanna Boyer to start the final inning and then got Julia Casto to fly out to Paige Stacy in right field to end the game.

The Lady Billies are looking to win the state championship for the third season in a row.

“We worked hard on our hitting this week and it paid off for us,” Man coach Randy Epperly said. “We got good defense and Marlena pitched well. Paige came through with big hits for us added.”

Frye said she’s excited to make it back to the state tourney.

“We’re heading back to the state tourney. It’s an unreal feeling. We have a chance to make history,” she said.

Johnston said she’s also glad to be headed to Vienna again.

“We came here with an attitude to go back to state. We worked hard the last three days and we hope to go for a three-peat,” she said.

Added Stacy, “We’ve worked real hard for this.”

Frye had five strikeouts and walked just two batters and gave up four hits and two runs in the win.

Stacy drove in three runs for the game.

Johnston had two doubles while Vance had a single and two RBI.

Summer Sword, Osborne and Lindsey Whited each added singles.

n Logan, which has won state championships in 1986, 2001, 2002 and 2006, are going back to the state tourney for the second straight season.

The Lady Cats (27-3) had no trouble with Nicholas County in last night’s Region 3 championship game as Logan beat the Grizzlies for the fourth time this season. Logan had previously beaten Nicholas County 12-1, 7-1 and 10-0.

Logan is looking to improve on last year’s 1-2 showing at the state tourney.

The Lady Cats are set to open play at state next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. against the Region 2 champion, No. 6 Jefferson (33-3), which beat Bridgeport on a walk-off grand slam home run in the bottom of the seventh in last night’s game.

The other Triple-A opening round contest has Region 1 champion No. 10-rated John Marshall or unranked East Fairmont against Region 4 champion and No. 1-ranked St. Albans or No. 2 Lincoln County.

A first-round win by Logan in the double-elimination state tourney would put the Lady Cats into a Wednesday winner’s bracket game at 6:30 p.m.

Two wins would put Logan into next Thursday’s Class AAA state championship game which is scheduled to be played at 2 p.m. If a second-game is needed, it would follow at 4 p.m.

“We’re glad to be going back to the state tournament,” Logan coach Randy Robinette said. “We hope to go back and play better than we did last year. Hopefully, things will work out in our favor. It’s a very tough field. Jefferson is an outstanding team and have lost just three games all season. St. Albans is the top-ranked team in the state. It’s going to be very tough.”

Neace pitched the complete game win for Logan in last night’s game. She struck out 14 over seven innings.

Her sister, Sommer Neace, was 3-for-4 at the plate with three singles to lead the Logan bats.

Taylor Norman was 2-for-4 with a double and a single.

Katie Chryssofos was 2-for-3 with a double.

Lara Sedlock and Ali Neace each had a single and two RBI.

Morgan Aguirre and Britta Aguirre both singled.

Britta Aguirre had missed much of the season with an injured knee after a collision at home plate.

“We’re glad to have Britta back,” Robinette said.

n Chapmanville improved to 22-13 with last night’s 2A regional championship game win at Herbert Hoover, a team that went 2-1 against the Lady Tigers this season.

The Lady Tigers also got the monkey off their backs.

For the first time in school history, Chapmanville is making a return trip to the state tourney the following season after winning a state championship.

After claiming the 1999 Class AA state title – the first in school history – the homestanding Lady Tigers were upset 1-0 by Man in the 2000 Double-A regional championship game.

Then after Chapmanville won the 2004 state crown, the Lady Tigers were upset 2-0 by Herbert Hoover in the ‘05 regional final at Madison.

In 2007, the Lady Tigers took the Class AA state championship again but were eliminated the following spring by Scott in the sectional tourney.

This year didn’t follow to form as Chapmanville is headed back to Vienna.

Last season, the 31-3 Lady Tigers rode the arm of player of the year Andi Williamson to take another state championship.

This year’s version of the Lady Tigers steadily improved throughout the season.

Chapmanville started off with a 6-6 mark but continued to improve.

CRHS shook off a late-season four-game skid by winning its last four regular season games, and sweeping Scott in a best-of-three sectional.

The Lady Tigers lost 12-1 to 3A No. 1 St. Albans in a May 10 tuneup, but then went to Wayne last Thursday and scored a 2-0 victory over the Pioneers in the 2A regional semifinals.

Chapmanville is set to begin play in the Double-A state tournament next Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Vienna against the Region 1 champ, either No. 1-ranked Ritchie County or No. 9 Magnolia. The other first-round matchup has the Region 2 champ Liberty Harrison or Frankfort, taking on the Region 3 champion No. 6 Independence or Shady Spring.

A first-round win and the Lady Tigers would play in the winner’s bracket at 7:30 p.m. A loss would put Chapmanville into a loser’s bracket elimination game on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

The Class AA state championship game is slated for Thursday at 3 p.m.

The young Lady Tigers’ team was led last night by sophomore pitcher Allison Evans, who fired a two-hitter and struck out eight. She enjoyed error-free fielding behind her, compared to Herbert Hoover’s five miscues.

Evans got a boost from twin sister and shortstop Jenna Evans, who snared a line drive from Alyssa Lawrence in the third inning and tossed to first to double off Mandy Edmonds, who had drawn a walk.

Allison Evans then cruised, retiring 12 straight batters until Marissa Shaffer’s seventh-inning single.

Shaffer had Hoover’s only two hits of the game. She also ripped a double in the second.

Chapmanville scored the only run it needed with two out in the bottom of the fourth with Alyssa Bailey’s RBI single. The Lady Tigers picked up three in the bottom of the sixth to widen the margin. After Chapmanville scored a run on an error, Heather Nagy made it 3-0 with an RBI groundout. Bailey then had a deep RBI double.

Hoover closed out the season with a 24-10 record.

The Huskies were beaten last year by the Lady Tigers in the same regional title game.

Chapmanville 30-year coach Ronnie Ooten, who has led the Lady Tigers’ program since its beginnings in 1981, said his team overcame a lot of obstacles to make a return trip to the state tourney.

“The kids are clicking,” he said. “We hope that it continues at the state tourney. We played a super ballgame against a super ballclub. I was talking to (Hoover coach) Missy Smith about how there are so many tough teams right here in our region. She does a great job with her team.”