The Shadow
HOT SPRINGS — The Bath County baseball Chargers started a busy stretch of three games in four days here Wednesday.
They started it with a convincing victory.
Kaleb Loan stroked two doubles and drove in three, while Cole Plott and Coult Fussell didn’t allow an earned run in the Chargers’ 14-3 run-rule victory over Pocahontas County.
The Warriors hurt themselves with six errors, including three in the bottom of the first when the hosts took a 5-0 lead.
“We hit the ball good and we played excellent defense,” said Bath County coach Dennis Maddow. “We eliminate errors and we don’t leave anyone stranded on bases — we win ball games.”
The Chargers didn’t eliminate errors completely — they made two.
But they had more than their fair share of web gems.
Second baseman Wyatt Harmon turned a rally-killing 4-3 double play in the third and speared a line drive in the fourth.
First baseman Billy Baldwin’s hustle play — trailing a runner trying to get to second — was good for an out in the fourth and Fussell gunned out a base runner at the plate from right field in the fifth.
Baldwin had two hits as did Plott, who reached base four times, scored three runs and stole three bags.
“He’s a good contact hitter,” Maddow said of Baldwin. “I’ve got a couple guys that will make contact for me so we try to stagger them a little bit (in the line-up). We had a good hitting team last year. But I think overall, we’re a better hitting team this year.”
Plott, who threw 101 pitches, scattered six hits before giving way to Fussell with one out in the fifth. The sophomore struck out the only two hitters he faced.
“Cole is probably my number one,” said Maddow. “We’ve got a good closer with Coult this year. They threw excellent. Cole had one heckuva game and Coult came in and finished it off.”
Brody Buzzard and J.D. Sharp both had two hits for Pocahontas County. Buzzard was touched for five hits and seven runs in 1.2 innings.
The Chargers (1-1) entertain Buffalo Gap today before a Saturday match-up with Pendleton County.
(Gavin Dressler Photo)
