MCHENRY — Down 2-0 through four innings, Fort Cumberland’s experience lifted it to victory and to a district championship.
The rally started with a dying quail and an infield single, and Fort Cumberland followed with eight more hits in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring five runs in each frame to blow the game open.
Tyson Shumaker had the go-ahead knock, Landon McAlpine pitched a complete game and for the third straight year, Fort Cumberland Post 13 is the Mountain District champion following an 11-2 win over Garrett County Post 71/208/214 on Tuesday at Garrett College.
“It’s step one to where we want to go,” Fort Cumberland manager Brian McAlpine said of the district title. “We knew we had to win six here, and we’ll sit back here to see who we have to play from down the road.
“We’re stroking it pretty well right now. Most of them aren’t cheap hits, we’re barreling it up pretty well.”
Fort Cumberland improves to 10-5 overall and 6-1 in the district. Post 13 and Garrett County (8-9, 1-6 district) have three more district games but Cumberland has clinched the title.
Unlike the past three years, Fort Cumberland — the 2023 state champion and 2022 runner-up — will not receive an automatic bid to the state tournament after winning the district.
Post 13 has to play a one-game playoff against the second-place finisher in the Western Maryland District on July 22 at a neutral site for a spot at states.
It’s the first time the Mountain District champion has had to a play a play-in game since Garrett County did so in 2007 and ’08. Garrett won both times to advance to the state tournament.
The key difference between Fort Cumberland and Garrett County this summer has been Post 13’s edge in experience and maturity.
That came to fruition on Tuesday when Fort Cumberland didn’t panic after consecutive RBI triples by Ryan Bird and Reece Tasker in the first inning and four shutout inning from left-hander Robert Deatelhauser that kept Garrett in front 2-0.
“Robert was cruising, we were making some plays,” Garrett County manager Phil Carr said. “They started finding the barrel, found holes and got hits. It seemed like this whole year so far playing these guys, there’s been that one inning that’s been a bugaboo for us.”
Just one year ago, Fort Cumberland mounted a miracle comeback in the state championship facing a 6-2 deficit to Wicomico with three outs to play. Most of the starters are back from that unit.
After Shumaker’s go-ahead single, Kohen Madden broke the game open with a two-run single to give Post 13 a 5-2 lead after five innings. Carson Bradley had the big knock in the sixth, a two-run single.
Garrett County struggled to get its bats going after the fast start, as Landon McAlpine held the side to no runs on four hits over the final six frames.
“They’re an older group of guys,” Carr said. “They’ve been in the state championship game for two years in a row and it’s been a lot of these guys that are playing now. They’ve found ways to win, and they’re still finding them.”
McAlpine, a Mountain Ridge grad entering his second year at Salem University, earned the victory allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk in seven innings of work.
“Kinda took baby steps with him not pitching in college,” coach McAlpine said of his starting pitcher. “He’s got a lot of life. His breaking ball is working well. … He kept them off balance.”
Fort Cumberland out-hit Garrett County, 13-6, led by McAlpine, who was 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Bryce Madden was 2 for 4 with a double and three runs scored, Bradley ended 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs, and Kohen Madden had three RBIs.
Caedon Wallace nearly hit a home run to dead center field in the sixth inning, but the future Allegany College player had to settle for an RBI double off the fence. Wallace drove in a pair on the day.
Deatelhauser took the loss for Garrett, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits with a strikeout and a walk in 4 1/3 innings.
Liam Stewart, Landon Yoder and Jared Haskiell pitched in relief for Garrett.
Haskiell joined Bird and Tasker in the extra-base club with a double, though he was thrown out at third trying to extend his knock to a triple.
Both teams impressed in the field.
Brayden Upole, Garrett’s shortstop, made a diving stop in the hole and came to his feet to gun down a runner in the third inning. The putout was one of Upole’s three in the inning.
Garrett County center fielder Easton Rhoten (Garrett College) also took away more than one potential Post 13 hit.
For Cumberland, the duo of Bryce and Kohen Madden turned a pair of inning-ending double plays in the fourth and sixth innings.
The fourth-inning turn was the highlight, as Kohen Madden, the second baseman, ranged behind the second base bag and made a flip with his glove to shortstop Bryce Madden to start the double play.
Post 13 left fielder Tyson Shumaker also made a fine play with a diving grab in the bottom of the third inning.
Fort Cumberland now turns to an area matchup at Potomac Valley Post 64 on Friday at 6 p.m. at Keyser High School.
Garrett County has a doubleheader at Potomac Valley on Saturday at 11 a.m.
While Garrett is eliminated from postseason contention, Carr emphasized the importance of the rest of their schedule for a young team.
A year from now, Garrett County is likely to be the more experienced team in key district games like Tuesday’s.
“We still have games on our schedule left, and we expect to go out and keep playing hard,” Carr said. “We’re here to get better. The No. 1 goal is to win the championship and go to the state tournament, but we also want to get better for your high school or your college season next year.”