FAIRLEA- The Greenbrier East baseball team finally got that early season signature win they have been looking for.
On Monday, April 1, a day full of sarcastic jokes and blatant lies, the Spartans defeated their rivals, the Woodrow Wilson Flying Eagles, 5-2 at Spartan Yards in Fairlea.
East got a good pitching performance from Gabe Patton and came up with several timely and crucial hits to snatch the victory.
The Spartans got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second inning when Zion Detko grounded out to second base, but Gavin Bennett scored. Bennett had reached base with a triple in his plate appearance.
The Eagles (7-4) came clawing back in the fourth inning. After retiring the first two hitters, Patton gave up a double to Woodrow’s Maddex Sims. The next batter, Andrew Gallaher, popped a single towards the right side and Beckley tied the game at 1-all.
But it did not take long for the Spartans to answer.
After Detko was hit by a pitch and Eli Green walked, Gavin Erskine came through with a 2-run single that gave East the lead at 3-1. Erskine would get thrown out at third base a couple batters later that ended the frame.
The Spartans extended that lead to 4-1 in the fifth on Brandon Upton’s RBI double that brought Patton across home plate. At that point, it was 4-1, East.
Nelson Lynch capped the Spartan scoring with an RBI double in the sixth that sealed the deal and gave East a big insurance run. Beckley scored a run in the seventh, but Patton got Jackson Gambrell to ground out to end the game.
The win was the Spartans third of the season and they now sit at 3-8 on the season.
Erskine and DeHaven led the team in hits with two apiece. Erskine added a run and two RBIs to his line.
Patton threw a complete game and gave up just 2 runs (1 earned). He scattered 8 hits and had 5 strikeouts.
Sims took the loss for Beckley. He gave up 5 hits and 3 runs in four innings of work.
The Spartans will head to St. Albans this Wednesday, April 3 in a rematch of last year’s regional series.
