The Shadow
ROANOKE, Va. (VR) – Alleghany got on the board in the first inning. Carson Cosby walked to start the rally and Bronson Shinault was hit by a pitch to put runners on base. Ben Skidmore later drew a walk to load the bases. Joel Bradshaw followed with a pop fly single to second base that allowed Cosby to score. Shinault later scored on a wild pitch to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead.
The Cougars added to the lead in the third inning, Shinault reached on a ground ball and stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball. Shinault later scored on another passed ball. Bradshaw then reached on an error by the Northside shortstop, allowing another run to score and extending the lead to 3-0. Zane George followed with a single to left field and later came around as Alleghany pushed the lead to 4-0.
Northside struggled to find offense early as Bradshaw struck out the side in the first inning. The Cougars defense continued to hold strong through the middle innings with groundouts recorded by Talin Raether and Carson Cosby in the infield.
Alleghany added two more runs in the fifth inning. Ethan Banker reached base on an error and later scored when Bronson Shinault doubled on a fly ball to left field. Shinault also scored on the throw to make the score 6-0.
On the mound, Ben Skidmore and Zane George combined to keep Northside off the board through the middle innings. Skidmore recorded multiple strikeouts, including one to end the fourth inning, while George struck out a batter and forced a pair of groundouts in the fifth.
Northside’s only hit of the game came in the sixth inning when Jacob Doak singled on a fly ball to right field. However, the Cougars closed the inning with two strikeouts and a pop out to secure the shutout victory.
Defensively, Alleghany was led by Talin Raether at shortstop, who recorded several outs during the game as the Cougars sealed the win.
