The Alleghany Mountaineers varsity baseball (0-1) team kicked off their season with a tightly contested 11-10 home loss to the Riverheads Gladiators (1-0), despite collecting 15 hits.
Leading 6-5 heading into the top of the seventh inning, the Mounties were three outs away from picking up a win in their season and home opener. The Gladiators would grab a five-run top half of the seventh inning to take an 11-6 lead. The Mounties had two critical errors that led to the tying and go-ahead runs.
To start of the top half of the seventh inning, Connor McPeerk (L) retired the first two batters of the inning. Down to their final out, Trevor Lilley (1-for-2) singled to keep the Gladiators in the game. With the tying run on first base, David Austin (0-for-2), reached first on an error as Lilley moved to second base. Following the Mounties error, Landon Lightner (2-for-4), hit a game-tying RBI single.
Still searching for the final out of the top half of the inning, the Mounties recorded their second error of the inning that not only allowed Brendon Fortune (1-for-5) to reach first base, but also brought in the Austin to give the Gladiators a 7-6 lead. Aidan Miller (1-for-3), followed the error by the Mounties, by knocking in a two-run single to increase the teams lead to 9-6. Ryan Farris (2-for-4) and Bennett Dunlap (1-for-3), each added RBI singles in the inning to give the Gladiators an 11-6 lead.
Despite surrendering the lead, the Mounties would not give up and worked their way back into the game in the home half of the seventh inning. With runners on base and only one out, McPeek (4-for-5) collected one of his four hits on an RBI single which cut the lead down to 11-7. With runners on first and third base, Wyatt Griffith (2-for-5), hit a one-out RBI double to cut the lead down to three runs at 11-8. With the potential tying run at the plate, Jackson Ross (1-for-4) ripped his only hit of the game coming on an RBI single to cut the lead down to 11-9. With one out still in the inning, Garrett Via (3-for-3), hit a sacrifice fly that brought in Griffith to score which cut the lead down to just one run. With the tying run on third base and the winning run on first base, Miller (W), recorded the final out of the game by getting Anthony Webb (1-for-5) to pop out.
Via and McPeek, combined to collect seven of the teams 15 hits while also driving in five of the teams 10 runs in. Griffith, added a two-hit performance along with two RBI’s.
Webb, grabbed the opening day start of the Mounties. Webb, gave up four runs (two earned) on three hits and walked three batters in three innings of work. McPeek, came in relief of Webb and surrendered seven runs (one earned) on eight hits, while walking two batters in four innings.
The Gladiators were speedsters on the base, collecting 13 stolen bases.
Despite the loss, the Mounties were held to just three runs through the first five innings before Miller, the third pitcher used by the Gladiators, surrendered seven runs (all earned) in just two innings pitched.
Up next for the Mounties, the team will look to bounce back this evening when the team hosts Wilson Memorial.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
RHS 0 2 2 1 0 0 6 11 11 5
AHS 1 1 1 0 0 3 4 10 15 6
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Gladiators Batting
Batter AB H RBI R SO W
Lightner 4 2 1 2 0 1
Fortune 5 1 0 1 1 0
Miller 3 1 2 2 0 0
Farris 4 2 1 1 0 1
Dunlap 3 1 3 0 0 0
L. Austin 5 2 1 1 1 0
Kwiech. 4 1 1 1 1 0
Lilley 2 1 0 1 0 2
D. Austin 2 0 0 1 1 1
Huffer 1 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 33 11 9 11 4 5
Mounties Batting
Batter AB H RBI R SO W
Weese 2 1 1 2 0 3
Middleton 4 1 0 1 2 1
McPeek 5 4 2 2 1 0
Griffth 5 2 2 2 1 0
Ross 4 1 1 0 0 1
Via 3 3 3 1 0 1
DePriest 4 0 0 0 2 1
Webb 5 1 1 1 0 0
Harden 4 2 0 1 0 0
TOTAL 36 15 10 10 6 7
Gladiators Pitching
Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO
Kwiecin. 2 4 2 2 4 4
Dunlap 3 3 1 0 2 0
Miller (W) 2 8 7 7 1 2
TOTAL 7 15 10 9 7 6
Mounties Pitching
Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO
Webb 3 3 4 2 3 1
McPeek (L) 4 8 7 1 2 3
TOTAL 7 11 11 3 5 4