The Shadow
PATRICK COUNTY, Va. (VR) – Thursday night, the Alleghany Cougars rolled into the game lookin’ like a team ready to cook. But by the final out, it was clear—Patrick County brought the sizzle, and the Cougars brought… soggy biscuits.
It started with a slow simmer—Patrick County stole home in the second, catching Alleghany sleeping like it was a lazy Sunday morning. But the Cougars woke up in the fifth, serving up five runs like grandma’s breakfast special. Tanner Hoke doubled in two, Tucker Phillips slapped in a pair, and for a minute, it looked like Alleghany was heating up.
But just when fans started tapping their boots, Patrick County flipped the skillet and turned up the heat. The bottom of the fifth? A full-on kitchen fire. Six runs, four hits, and a double from Erik Tejada that scorched the Cougars like bacon left on too long.
After that? Alleghany just couldn’t scrape it together. The grit was gone. The gravy had run cold.
Tyler Jackson started on the mound for Alleghany, but the wheels came off after three innings. Patrick County’s Christian Hylton dished out four solid innings and kept the Cougars guessing like they forgot the recipe. Tanner Hoke did what he could—2-for-3 with 3 RBIs from the nine-hole. But one biscuit can’t feed the whole table.
Six walks showed the Cougars had patience—but patience doesn’t win games when your defense crumbles like day-old cornbread. Patrick County, meanwhile, served it hot. Jessup and Wilson each had two hits, and Tejada’s double was the gravy on top. The Cougars are currently 7-9-0 for the season.
