RICHWOOD – Four Greenbrier West pitchers combined for a 5-inning no-hitter in the season opener for both schools last Thursday evening. Dale Boone started for the Cavaliers and pitched two innings, striking out five Lumberjack batters. Hayden Ridgeway pitched 1 1/3 innings and struck out two. David Lester handled an inning and collected two K’s, and Braydon McClung pitched 2/3 of an inning, sitting down two Richwood hitters.
Greenbrier West also registered 14 hits in the 20-1 win over their Coalfield Conference opponents. McClung went 4-5 from the leadoff spot with a double, a triple, and 4 RBI. Ethan Holliday went 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBI. Senior Dale Boone went 2-4 with 3 RBI. Hayden Ridgeway was perfect at the plate with a 3-3 night and an RBI.
After two bumpy innings offensively, Greenbrier West exploded for 11 runs in the top of the third inning. McClung opened with a leadoff single. After a McClung steal, David Lester singled him in with a shot to centerfield. Holliday notched his first RBI of the season with a rocket over the right fielder that resulted in a stand-up triple. Boone followed that with a single to shallow right that scored Holliday. Vandall grounded out to third but Boone advanced to third on the play. Levi Ramsey stepped in and reached on an error by Lumberjack first baseman Trae Trivolette, then obtained second base on a throwing error by Landen Hamon. Boone scored during the chaos.
With only one out, the Cavaliers kept adding baserunners. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases for West, but Dakota Hamrick was unable to capitalize and struck out on a called third strike. That brought the Cavaliers full circle as McClung was at the plate with two outs. McClung doubled on a liner to centerfield, scoring Ramsey and Ridgeway and advancing Bradley Hodge to third. David Lester drew a full count walk before Holliday legged out an infield single in front of Richwood shortstop Cooper Donahue. Holliday’s hit scored Hodge. Boone stepped in and skied a ball just behind third base. McClung and Lester scored on the contact.
Still not done scoring, the Cavaliers would add two more runs before the half-inning ended. With Holliday at third, Boone put himself in scoring position with the steal. Richwood obliged Greenbrier West’s scoring efforts when Vandall benefitted from an error in right field, scoring both Holliday and Boone. Richwood finally got out of the inning when John Spencer sat down Ramsey for the third out.
Richwood scored their sole run of the game in the bottom of the third inning on a series of walks with DaCota O’Dell plating the Lumberjack run. McClung had two K’s in the inning with Ridgeway coming in to record the third out.
The Cavalier scoring parade continued in the top of the fourth inning. Ridgeway hit a towering shot to left field to start the frame. Following a Daron Vaughan strikeout, Tanner Hagy reached on a throwing error by Hamon. Colton Chrisman, in as a courtesy runner for Ridgeway, scored on the error as Hagy advanced to second base. Back at the top of the order, McClung laced a triple to right center that scored Hagy. Lester drew a four-pitch walk and promptly stole second base. Holliday reached on yet another error from Richwood’s Hamon, scoring McClung and stretching Lester to third base.
Boone was then hit by pitch, loading the bases for the Cavaliers. Vandall collected an RBI when he drew the walk. Ramsey then reached on an error by Hamon who was now on the mound for Richwood, scoring Holliday. The Cavaliers continued to add runs as Ridgeway walked followed by Vaughan. Hamon finally recorded an out when he got Hagy to go down swinging, but the Cavaliers would add two more runs on a McClung single and a Lester walk. Trivolette would end the inning with a ground ball that he was able to field and step on the bag almost simultaneously.
Ridgeway would keep the Lumberjacks hitless and scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, with a fly out, strikeout, and ground out despite allowing two walks.
Greenbrier West extended its winning streak over Richwood to 10 games dating back to the 2017 season. The Cavaliers are 20-1 against the Lumberjacks dating back to the 2009 season.
GW: 0 0 11 9 0 – 20 14 0
RW: 0 0 1 0 0 – 1 0 7
GW: Boone, McClung, Ridgeway, Lester and Holliday. RW: Trivolette, Sizemore, Spencer, Hamon, Hughes and Sizemore, O’Dell. WP – Boone LP – Trivolette. GW: McClung 4-5, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI; Ridgeway 3-3, RBI; Boone 2-4, 3 RBI; Holliday 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI; Vandall 1-3, RBI; Ramsey 1-4, 2 RBI; Lester 1-2, 2 RBI; Hamrick 0-2; Hagy 0-3; Vaughan 0-1; Landon Doss 0-1. RW: None.
