The Shadow
Covington coach Mick Strand summed it up best when he said “we played well for seven innings, it’s too bad we had to play eight.”
Strand’s Cougars and the Glenvar Highlanders were knotted up at five after seven innings of play, but the Highlanders rallied for seven runs in the top of the eighth to pull off a 12-5 non-district win over the Cougars.
The loss was the first for Covington since falling 12-3 to Alleghany on Monday, April 5.
“I thought we played well defensively up until the last inning,” said Strand, referring to his team’s three defensive miscues, all coming in the eighth inning. “We were just one pitch away from potentially winning the game. It would’ve been a huge win for our program, but I’m satisfied with the effort.”
After starting pitcher Cody Pritt retired the Highlanders in order to open the game, the Cougars went to work.
Shawn Perkins drew a lead off walk and moved to second on Michael Myers’ groundout to first. Adam Simmons plated Perkins with an RBI double to deep center field to give Covington an early 1-0 lead.
The Highlanders (8-4) knotted things up in the second with a single run. Todd Dunbar singled and scored after Pritt issued a bases loaded walk with two outs.
Glenvar would take a brief 2-1 lead with one in the top of the third.
Reliever Chad Lipes walked Trent Wilburn to lead off the inning and Wilburn would score later in the inning on a wild pitch.
But back came the Cougars.
Perkins drew another lead off walk in the bottom half of the frame and moved to second on a wild pitch. Michael Myers would plate him two batters later with a run-scoring single to knot the game at two after three innings of play.
The Highlanders took a 3-2 lead with another run in the top of the fourth.
Cam Holshouser reached on an infield single to lead off the inning and moved to second on Eddie Kasper’s single. Wilburn then blasted an RBI double to the gap in left-center to give Glenvar the lead.
Once again the Cougars responded, this time without the benefit of a hit.
Lipes drew a lead off walk and moved around to third after Aaron Fertig reached on an error. Josh Laprade drew a walk to load the bags with no outs and two batters later Pritt lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Lipes.
The relay throw to get Fertig – who was tagging from second – at third base sailed high and into the Cougars’ dugout, allowing Fertig to score and give Covington a 5-3 lead.
The Cougars led 5-3 until the top of the sixth.
Carlin East singled off reliever Preston Waddell to lead off the inning and moved to second after Waddell was called for a balk.
Waddell calmed his nerves to retire the next two batters to get to the top of the Highlanders’ line-up. Waddell had a 1-2 count on Glenvar leadoff man Kasper before Kasper belted a 1-2 fastball over the fence in left-center to knot the game at five.
Glenvar threatened in the top of the seventh.
The Highlanders had runners at second and third with two outs, but Covington reliever Matthew Myers got East looking at a called third strike to end the inning.
Eight Highlanders reached base safely to open the eighth inning with Kasper’s two-run triple doing the bulk of the damage as they erupted for seven runs to take a 12-5 lead.
Glenvar reliever Bolden struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning to seal the win for the Highlanders.
Bolden came on to pitch in the bottom of the fourth with no outs and issued two walks that inning before settling down to stymie the Cougars.
Bolden permitted just one Cougar on the basepaths over the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings and that came in the top of the seventh when Michael Myers reached on an error.
The Highlanders out-hit the Cougars, 14-2, in the game with Kasper’s 3-for-5, four RBI day leading the way. Dunbar also went 3-for-5.
Michael Myers and Simmons were the only Covington players to record a hit.
Covington (8-3, 3-0 Pioneer) has two days to bounce back before traveling to James River on Thursday for a Pioneer District showdown with the Knights. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m.
