Bridgeport Baseball Advances to State Tournament With 7-2 Defeat of Elkins
By Michael Minnich on May 25, 2026
NUTTER FORT -- Bridgeport is back.
After three years away, the Tribe will return to the state baseball tournament after a 7-2 defeat of the Elkins Tigers at Frank Loria Memorial Field on Monday to clinch one of two state berths out of Class AAA Region II.
Owen Sondericker pitched a complete game on the mound, giving up two unearned runs on three hits with no walks and nine strikeouts, and excelled at the plate as well, tripling in a 2-for-4 showing with a run and three RBIs.
Guy Avolio had two hits and an RBI, Brooks Vass singled twice and scored twice and Luke Rohrig walked three times, drove in a run and scored a run.
Elkins scored a run in the top of the first and kept the edge until a breakthrough third inning.
Vass started the rally with a single, then Aidan Dunn sacrificed him to second.
A walk to Rohrig and a Jax McNally bunt single loaded the bases, then Sondericker cleared them with a three-bagger to right field.
Kasen Baun's RBI groundout pushed the cushion to 4-1.
It stayed there until the sixth, when Elkins got another run to trail 4-2.
Bridgeport answered, though, with a 3-spot in the home half of the inning.
Again, Vass' single was the start point.
This time, when Dunn bunted, the ball was thrown away, bringing Vass all the way around and Dunn to third.
Rohrig then lofted a sacrifice fly to left: 6-2.
With two outs, Sondericker singled, then Baun walked and Avolio singled home courtesy runner Blake Butcher.
Bridgeport (30-4) will await its seed for state play, which has expanded from four teams to eight teams in all four classes.
The Tribe will play on Tuesday, June 9 at Jack Cook Field on the campus of Marshall University. The Class AAA semifinals are Friday, June 12 and the championship game is Saturday, June 13.
Editor's Note: Photos by Joe LaRocca.
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