BUENA VISTA – It was Chad Lipes best pitching performance to date.
And because of this, the Covington Cougars opened Pioneer District play with a 9-2 win over Parry McCluer after the game was called after six innings due to darkness.
Lipes limited the Blues (4-4, 1-2 Pioneer) to four hits over six innings, striking out eight and walking just two.
While he was setting the Parry McCluer batters down, his Covington teammates jumped on the Blues pitching early.
Covington grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first when Matthew Myers was hit by a pitch and brother Michael followed with a single. Both would score on Preston Waddell’s two-run double.
Covington put it away early with a six-run second.
Zach Humphries tripled to lead off the inning and scored on Lipes’ RBI single. Chris Bowden reached on an error and Matt Myers drew a walk.
Michael plated two runs with a single and he scored one Waddell’s RBI single. Covington added two more runs later in the inning on bases loaded walks to take an 8-0 advantage.
The Blues got two back in the fourth, but the Cougars tacked on a single run in the fifth when Humphries reached on an error and scored on another Parry McCluer error later in the inning.
Michael Myers and Preston Waddell led the Covington offense with two hits and two RBI each. Lipes added one hit and two runs drive in.
Covington (6-2, 1-0 Pioneer) returns home Wednesday to host Bath County in a Pioneer District showdown. They hit the road again on Friday as they travel to Craig County. Both games are set to begin at 5:30 p.m.