The Shadow
It was your typical season opener.
Six errors were made and a handful of other plays could have and probably should have been made.
But it was Alleghany that turned it on late Monday at Mountaineer Field.
Sophomore Xander Harris had two hits and drove in three runs, while freshman Andrew Middleton reached base four times and pitched two and a third of an inning of scoreless relief in the Mountaineers’ 13-3, five-inning baseball win over Covington.
The Cougars led 3-0 through two and a half before Alleghany put up six runs in the home half of the third and seven more in the fourth.
“It was a shaky start, yes, it was a shaky start,” said AHS skipper Gary Rice after his 40th season opener as a head coach. “We didn’t make some simple plays and we played give away. But the good thing is they didn’t give up. We made a few changes and Andrew (Middleton) did a decent job on the mound.”
The Mountaineers also made some changes at the plate.
After going scoreless in the opening two frames, the hosts sent 11 hitters to the plate in both the third and fourth.
In the third, Alleghany took advantage of two critical Cougar errors and had a pair of timely hits.
Harris drove in two with a bases-loaded single to deep center before Luke Stone, who started the game on the bench, laced an RBI single through the six-hole.
Five hits added up to a seven-run fourth.
Harris and Stone both had RBI knocks, Nic Bowling had a two-run single, Ethyn Kimberlin doubled and Middleton singled.
“We made a few plays on defense and we decided we were going to swing the bat,” Rice added. “We kept our head in the ball game and toughened up a little bit.”
It was Covington that controlled things early.
Levi Dressler’s RBI single off the leg of Alleghany starter Colby Skidmore drove in Skyler Barnett for a 1-0 lead in the first.
Barnett then started the third inning with a double and scored on a Sammy Akers ground ball.
Simon Gibson stroked an RBI hit through the middle to plate Akers and give the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
“We jumped off to a really quick start and then our youth and inexperience showed up,” said Covington coach Kevin Hall. “Not being able to get on the field but twice, that kind of got to us.
“I hate it for Sammy,” Hall added. “He was pitching a good game and then we didn’t make a couple plays behind him and everything kind of snowballed from there.”
Gibson was 2-for-2 at the plate to lead the Cougars, while Barnett scored a pair of runs.
Middleton, Harris and Stone all had two hits for the winners, with Bowling, Middleton, Harris and Jacob Clarke all crossing the plate twice.
Middleton retired six of the eight hitters he faced and was credited with the mound win for Alleghany.
“Colby struggled with location,” said Rice. “Andrew came in and did a good job with his little right-handed curveball.”
Alleghany is back at home Thursday against James Monroe, W.Va., while the Cougars play their home opener on Friday against William Fleming.
JV Game Postponed
The junior varsity opener between Alleghany and Covington scheduled at Casey Field was postponed on Monday.
The game will be made up on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
