The Shadow
LOW MOOR – The Alleghany Mountaineers are one win away from reaching the Class 2 baseball state tournament final following a 14-1 thrashing of the Marion Scarlet Hurricanes Tuesday evening in Low Moor.
It’s been quite the season for Alleghany’s Hunter DePriest and he continued his phenomenal season on Tuesday following a brilliant performance on the mound and the game-ending hit.
On the mound, DePriest earned the victory after giving up just one run, on four hits, while striking out six in 4.2 innings. With a nine-run advantage in the bottom of the sixth inning, DePriest, with one swing of the bat, sent the Mounties to the state semifinals as he crushed a grand slam home run over the fence in left field. It’s worth noting that DePriest nearly had missed ending the game on the previous two pitches he had seen. On his first 1-2 pitch he just got under it and fouled it back. And then on the second 1-2 pitch, he ripped it foul down the left field line.
Alleghany set the pace of the game with a five-run first inning. Backed by his two-hit day at the plate Alleghany’s Wyatt Griffith put the first runs of the game across the plate in the bottom of the first inning following an RBI double. Griffith was the only Mountie with multiple hits in the win. The team added three more runs in the inning.
Chris Harden went 1-for-2 in the game with a pair of RBIs, while Anthony Webb and Eli Weese each provided Alleghany with one RBI each. In relief of DePriest, the Mounties lefty-ace Halen Lowman came in and pitched a perfect 1.1 innings where he struck out three of the four batters he faced.
Marion’s Cater Sayers provided the Scarlet Hurricanes with their only run of the game coming on an RBI single in the second inning. Sayers was also charged with the loss after giving up eight runs (five earned) on five hits in three innings pitched where he also walked three and struck out seven.
The win is one for the books as after 40 years and 390 games played it was the final ever home game for the Mounties program as the state semifinal and finals are played at a neutral site.
Alleghany will play the Poquoson Islanders of the Bay Rivers District on Friday. The Islanders defeated East Rockingham on Tuesday 11-3. The winner of the Alleghany/Poquoson game will play either Buckingham or Patrick County in the state tournament final.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
MSH 0 1 0 0 0 0 X 1 4 6
AHS 5 1 2 0 2 4 X 14 8 1
Hurricanes Box Score
LINEUP AB R H RBI BB SO
Witt, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 1
M. Pugh, CF 3 0 0 0 0 0
Osborne, LF 3 0 1 0 0 2
Roberts, SS 3 0 0 0 0 1
J. Pugh, 3B 3 0 1 0 0 2
Robinson, 1B 3 1 1 0 0 1
Taylor, C 1 0 0 0 0 1
Sayers, P 2 0 1 1 0 0
Campbell. RF 1 0 0 0 0 0
Terry, RF 1 0 0 0 0 1
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TEAM 23 1 4 1 0 9
PITCHING IP H R ER BB SO
Sayers (L) 3 5 8 5 3 7
Bade 2.1 3 6 5 3 1
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TEAM 5.1 8 14 10 6 7
Mounties Box Score
LINEUP AB R H RBI BB SO
Weese, SS 3 1 1 1 1 1
McPeek, 2B 3 2 1 0 1 1
Via, LF 2 2 1 0 1 1
W. Griffith, 1B 4 2 0 1 0 0
Webb, 3B 4 2 0 1 0 1
DePriest, P/CF 2 3 1 4 2 1
Caldwell, DH 3 0 0 0 0 3
D. Griffith, RF 3 1 1 0 0 0
Harden, C 2 1 1 2 0 0
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TEAM 25 14 8 11 6 8
PITCHING IP H R ER BB SO
DePriest (W) 4.2 4 1 1 0 6
Lowman 1.1 0 0 0 0 3
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TEAM 6 4 1 1 0 9
MSH: Sayers, Blade (4), and Taylor. AHS: DePriest, Lowman (5), and Harden. W – DePriest. L – Sayers. 2B – MSH: J. Pugh. AHS: Weese and W. Griffith. HR – AHS: DePriest. TB – J. Pugh 2, Osborne, Robinson, and Sayers. AHS: DePriest 4, W. Griffith 3, Weese 2, McPeek, Via, D. Griffith, and Harden.
HBP – MSH: Taylor. AHS: Via. SB – AHS: McPeek 2, DePriest 2, and Harden. E – MSH: Roberts 2, Osborne, Taylor, Witt, and Sayers. AHS: McPeek.
