The Shadow
The Alleghany Cougar Varsity baseball team has reached the midway point of their season, having now played 10 out of 20 regular season games. It’s been quite a ride so far and, like the Lady Cougars, a season full of firsts. Their first-ever regular season game as the Varsity Cougars was played on March 13 against the Riverheads Gladiators. That game would also serve as the Alleghany Cougars’ first loss. However, that same game, Eli Weese became the first Varsity Cougar baseball player to hit a home run; a feat he conquered at the top of the fourth inning when he crushed a fly ball into left field. Meanwhile, Hunter DePriest became the first Alleghany Cougar pitcher to strike out a batter.
Losing by a mere point in their first game, one could argue that the Cougars took advantage of the loss, learning from the mistakes they made and using that knowledge against the Rockbridge County Wildcats in their second game of the season. This time, they would obliterate the competition 15-1, ending the game early at the top of the fifth when the Wildcats failed to score the runs needed to avoid the slaughter rule. The defeat would mark the first-ever victory for the Alleghany Cougar Varsity baseball team.
That victory would also be the beginning of a trend, as it marked the first of a 5-game winning streak for the Alleghany Cougars, most of which were won by slaughter. The Varsity baseball team went on to take down the Riverheads Gladiators during their March 19th rematch, winning 2-1. They defeated the Buffalo Gap Bisons on March 25, ending the game early at the top of the fifth due to slaughter rule in a crushing 21-1 victory over Buffalo Gap. Then, they took down the Carroll County Cavaliers on March 27, winning by slaughter at the bottom of the fifth with a score of 13-3. Finally, they defeated the James River Knights, winning by slaughter at the bottom of the fifth, 12-0.
Alleghany would go on to fall to Patrick County in a three-point loss on April 9 before falling to the Wildcats in a one-point deficit on April 10. They jumped back on the winning train on April 15th when they took down the Wilson Memorial Hornets 6-3. Their game against the Glenvar Highlanders on April 16th ended early due to lightning and is expected to reconvene on May 10th when they face them again in Salem. Their most recent game against the Floyd County Buffaloes ended with a Cougar win of 9-0, leaving the team with a regular season record of 7-3 and 2-1 in the Three Rivers District (TRD) where they are currently in fourth place.
With the season merely halfway over, there is still plenty of time for the Varsity Cougars to move up in the TRD. Given the abilities of these talented young athletes, I would expect nothing less.
