RICHWOOD (WVDN) – One day after suffering their first loss of the season, the Greenbrier West baseball team got back in the win column with a 19-3 win over the Richwood Lumberjacks Wednesday night. In the process, the Cavaliers pounded out 12 hits including a 4-5 effort from sophomore Ethan Holliday.
The Cavaliers attacked quickly but fizzled fast in the first inning. Josh Jones singled, promptly stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. That allowed Braydon McClung to drive Jones in for the game’s first run on a fielder’s choice. Holliday struck out for out number two followed by a Chase McClung walk. McClung put himself 90 feet away from a score with a steal and advance on a wild pitch, but Dale Boone flied out to centerfield to end the half-inning.
Tyler Barnhouse and Dakota Sizemore drew walks to start the bottom of the inning. Barnhouse, though, was picked off at third by a laser throw from Holliday. Trae Trivolette popped out to West second baseman David Lester for the second out. The Lumberjacks caught a little lightning in a bottle when Landen Hamon singled to right field. Sizemore rounded third and headed home, drawing a throw to the plate from Vandall. Sizemore beat the throw, but Hamon tried to stretch out his single and was gunned down at second by Holliday for the third out.
Tucker Gibson was hit by pitch to start the second inning followed by a Vandall walk. With two on, Colton Hamrick struck out swinging followed by successive walks by Lester and Jones, pushing Gibson across for a 2-1 West lead. The Cavaliers were not through scoring. Braydon McClung lifted a SAC fly to left field allowing Vandall to tag up and score. Holliday then threaded the needle into left field plating runs by both Lester and Jones. Chase McClung and Boone both drew walks to load the bases for West, but Gibson popped out to the shortstop for the third out. West’s lead was now 5-1.
Braydon McClung worked hard to find the strike zone, but it just wasn’t his day. The Lumberjacks loaded the bases which forced a pitching change for the Cavaliers. Lester relieved Braydon but proceeded to walk in two runs for Richwood before finding his groove. Barnhouse lined a shot toward right field that West first baseman Tucker Gibson elevated to snag out of the air. Richwood’s Alden Hughes had ventured away from the bag on the hit and Gibson was able to tag first for the unassisted double-play. It was a huge defensive boost for the Cavaliers given all the walks they had allowed in the inning. Sizemore drew another walk, but Lester ended the damage with a strikeout of Trivolette. Richwood had climbed back to trail 5-3 after two innings.
Cavalier head coach Matt McClung circled up his team and delivered a fiery speech about focus and plate approach. Although the Cavaliers had outhit Midland Trail 6-3 the previous evening, they also struck out 13 times, leaving themselves without scoring opportunities. West did not need to fall into the same trap.
Coach McClung’s impromptu meeting seemed to work. Vandall led off being hit by a pitch, Hamrick reached on an error, and Lester walked to load the bases for the Cavaliers. Vandall scored when Jones grounded into a fielder’s choice, but that sent Lester to the dugout with the first out. Braydon McClung hit a 2-RBI single to right field, scoring Hamrick and Jones, and an errant throw advanced Braydon to second base. Holliday followed with an RBI single to centerfield, plating a run for Braydon. Chase McClung scored Holliday on a grounder to first but registered the second out. Boone continued to stay hot for the Cavaliers with a double, but the inning ended on a Gibson pop fly to the pitcher. The West lead looked a little better at 10-3.
Lester continued on the mound for the Cavaliers with mixed results. Lester walked the leadoff hitter but recovered to strike out Jayce Tharp. Lester seemed to secure out number two when John Spencer dribbled a short nubber down the first baseline. Lester fielded the ball cleanly but pumped a quick throw to Gibson that was high and deflected off his glove. It was the only Cavalier error of the evening. Lester, unsettled by the mistake, hit the next batter he faced.
Assistant coach Steve Price, in consultation with Coach McClung, decided to send senior Alijah Everson to the mound for his first live action of the season. The calculated gamble paid off. Everson struck out Richard Smith then used a slick move to pick-off Hughes at first for the third out. Everson had made an immediate impact.
The offense remained somewhat efficient in the fourth inning. Vandall and Hamrick struck out to put the Cavaliers in a two-out hole, but Everson reached on an error and stole second base while Jones drew a walk. Braydon McClung, second on the team with seven RBIs on the season, singled to centerfield and scored Everson while Jones scooted in to third base. Holliday, West’s team leader in RBIs with 13, lined a shot to centerfield that scored both Jones and Braydon. Two more walks would load the bases for Greenbrier West, but Chase Franklin ended the Cavalier effort with a fly ball out to right field.
The Cavalier defense continued to shine behind Everson in the bottom of the fourth inning. Everson got the leadoff batter Hughes to foul out to Franklin just in front of the Cavalier dugout. After Everson gave up a walk, a hit batsman, and a single, the Cavaliers wowed the visiting crowd with a flash of the leather. Chance Hanna scooped up a Hamon hit to second base and flipped the ball to Hayden Ridgeway, now in at shortstop. Ridgeway slid across the bag at second and fired a dart to Franklin at first for the 4-6-3 double play. The Cavalier lead was solid at 13-3 heading into the fifth inning.
With reserves firmly entrenched in the lineup, the Cavaliers got some valuable plate appearances for the remainder of the roster. Bradley Hodge singled followed by a Jayden Robinson fly-out to centerfield. Everson hit an infield single toward third base followed by a Levi Ramsey walk. Hanna reached on error, scoring Everson and opening the floodgates. Holliday hit a 2-RBI single, Ridgeway reached after being hit by a pitch, and Remey McClung scored Hanna on a short hit that was, in essence, a swinging bunt. Franklin stepped into the left side batter’s box with a golden opportunity to add to the lead, but right fielder Alden Hughes shaded himself toward the foul line after a Franklin foul ball. Franklin straightened-out a deep shot down the line, but it was as if Hughes had read a scouting report as he jogged under the deep drive. Hodge made his second appearance of the inning and was plunked, scoring Holliday. Robinson lined a shot to left field that scored Ridgeway before Everson hit a weak pop fly to the pitcher for the third out.
Everson remained on the mound in the bottom of the fifth, registering three strikeouts while allowing only one hit. Everson also hit a batter in the frame. Everson finished the night with four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.
The win was the eighth straight against Richwood for the Cavaliers dating back to the 2017 season. Greenbrier West was scheduled to play James Monroe on Thursday, but a rainout forced a postponement with the makeup TBA. The Cavaliers will return home on Monday, April 4 against Webster County. The first pitch is set for 5:30 PM.
Greenbrier West 1 4 5 3 6 – 19 12 1
Richwood 1 2 0 0 0 – 3 3 5
Pitchers & catchers – GW: Braydon McClung, David Lester, Alijah Everson-Ethan Holliday; RW: Landen Hamon, John Spencer-Dakota Sizemore. WP – Lester, LP- Hamon
Hitting – GW: Holliday 4-5 (7 RBI), Braydon McClung 2-4 (4 RBI), Jayden Robinson 1-2 RBI, Remey McClung 1-1 RBI, Josh Jones 1-2 (2 RBI), Dale Boone 1-2 2B, Alijah Everson 1-3, Bradley Hodge 1-1 RBI; RW: Landen Hamon 1-2 RBI, Jayce Tharp 1-2, Trae Trivolette 1-3.
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