The Shadow
James Monroe has made a pair of trips to the semifinal round of the Group 2A West Virginia state baseball playoffs over the last two years.
They started their 2019 season with a win at Mountaineer Field Thursday.
Xander Castillo, the No. 9 hitter in the James Monroe line-up, hit a two-run homer in the visiting half of the second, and the Mavericks were errorless in an 8-4 win over Alleghany.
Leadoff man Monroe Mohler had two of the visitors’ four knocks.
The Mountaineers also had four hits, but five errors led to six unearned runs.
“Four hits is not going to win many ball games, is it,” said AHS coach Gary Rice. “Pitching and defense should give your offense a chance to win.
Defense didn’t give us much chance — we’ve got to do more of everything.”
Alleghany took advantage of walks and hit batters early.
James Monroe starter Garrett Huffman issued five free passes and hit a batter in the first two innings, leading to three Mountie runs.
Nic Bowling was hit by a pitch, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch for the first AHS?run and Xander Harris singled home Andrew Middleton to knot the game at 2-all.
After Castillo’s homer in the top of the second, the hosts answered with one in the home half of the inning.
After both Bowling and Middleton walked and a wild pitch moved them up 90 feet, Colby Skidmore’s sacrifice fly cut the Mavericks’ lead to 4-3.
But Alleghany scored just one run the rest of the way.
Middleton’s sacrifice fly scored Zac Wolfe, who had singled, in the sixth.
Harris, who is 4-for-7 through two games, and Wolfe both had two hits for the Mountaineers, while Bowling reached base in all four of his plate appearances, being hit by a pitch three times and walking once.
Cody Moore scored the mound win for James Monroe, throwing three innings of no-hit, shutout baseball.
Middleton, Skidmore and Drew Hayslett combined to allow just two earned runs on the hill for Alleghany.
“Pitching wasn’t terrible,” Rice said. “It’s just lack of offense and lack of defense. You get what you get — you get yourself beat.”
The Mountaineers (1-1) play twice next week. They travel to Casey Field on Monday for a game against Covington and host Rockbridge County on Thursday.
