The Shadow
LINDSIDE, Wv. (VR) – Alleghany didn’t wait long to take control and never let up, rolling past James Monroe behind steady pitching, clean defense, and a lineup that kept producing.
The Cougars struck first in the opening inning, manufacturing a run as Graham Brewster lifted a sacrifice fly to score Jalen Raether for a 1-0 lead.
Defensively, Alleghany set the tone right away. James Monroe put runners on in the first with a K Hines single and a hit by pitch, but the Cougars erased the threat with a caught stealing and a pickoff to end the inning. In the second, Alleghany turned a clean double play behind Raether, Brewster, and Zeke Saville, and added another double play in the sixth to keep the Mavericks off the board.
The game broke open in the fourth. Raether delivered a two-run double to left, scoring Garrett Carper and Brycen Griffith. Brewster followed with his second sacrifice fly of the game, pushing the lead to 5-0.
Alleghany kept building in the fifth. Raether added an RBI single, Saville drove in a run with a base hit, and two more runs scored on an outfield error. The Cougars strung together hits from Tucker Phillips and others to extend the lead to 9-0.
On the mound, Alleghany pitching was in full control. Jalen Raether worked through the middle innings and struck out three in the fifth. He was backed by a staff effort that combined for nine strikeouts, including three more in the seventh from Kai Rowland to close it out.
Alleghany put the game away in the seventh with its biggest inning. Brady May doubled in two runs, Phillips added an RBI double, and the Cougars kept the line moving with singles from Joel Bradshaw, Ben Skidmore, and Jalen Raether as the lead pushed to 17-0.
In the field, Alleghany stayed sharp throughout with no errors, turning two double plays and making multiple plays on the bases to erase scoring chances.
