Salem…The Pulaski Co. Cougars traveled to Salem and came out on the short end of a 7-2 score to the Spartans. Cougar starting pitcher Thomas Anderson had trouble finding the strike zone as he gave up six runs and five hits; he walked two, hit two batters and threw two wild pitches in three and one-third innings.

Salem’s starting pitcher Trevor Austin threw a complete game and scattered nine hits. He walked no one and struck out four. The first at bat set the table for this game as Salem lead-off hitter Riley Fox drew a walk. He then stole second and moved to third on an error and scored on Noah Beckley’s single.

Pulaski Co. then came up in the top of the second and Hunter Shrewsbury hit a sharp single to left, then Tyler Waddell singled. After a Salem error, both moved up to second and third. Neither could cross the plate as the Salem pitcher wiggled his way out of trouble. Those two at bats seemed to set the stage for rest of the contest.

Salem scored three runs in the second as Vincent Piniello walked, Austin was hit by a pitch and then Landon Hudson singled in Piniello. Fox then hit a two-run scoring double off the right field wall. Fox was a huge thorn in the side for the Cougars as he went three for three and a walk. He scored one run and knocked in five. The Spartans (9-3) added two more runs in the fourth to go up 6-0. Fox again hit a two-run double, this time to right center to score Austin and Hudson. Hudson finished with two hits, scored twice and knocked in one.

Pulaski Co. finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth when Braeden Blevins and Jon Osteen got back to back singles. Andrew Lowe singled to left scoring Blevins. Kam Hall then hit a sac fly to centerfield to knock in Osteen. It was too little too late as they would only get one hit the last two innings against Austin.

“We kept getting behind in the count on their hitters, and they scored and we didn’t get the hits in the clutch,“ said Cougar head coach Jared King. “They stole five bases and their pitcher kept us off balance at the plate for the most part.”

Blevins, Osteen and Tyler Waddell all had two hits for the Cougars (8-5-1) in a losing effort.

The Cougars are scheduled to play at home Tuesday against Carroll Co. They haven’t played a game at home since April 13th. Game time for Tuesday is 5:00 pm.

 

 

R H E LOB

Salem 7 7 1 4

Pul. Co. 2 9 2 6

 

Salem – WP- Austin

 

Pul. Co. – LP- Anderson (2-2)

Christiansburg…The game had to be moved to Christiansburg from Pulaski Co. High School with the Cougars being the home team because the Cougar Field was still unplayable due to the recent heavy rain. This was the second time this season this has happened. This time the Cougars came out with a loss, losing 7-5 to the Blue Demons.

Tied at three all going into the top of the fourth, Christianburg’s Corbin Vaught hit a home run over the right field fence to put the Demons into the lead, 4-3. They would stretch that to 5-3 in the fifth on an error by the Cougars and would add two more in the sixth to go up 7-3. One of those two runs was also unearned as the Cougars finished the contest with four errors and gave up three big unearned runs.

The Cougars would battle back in the bottom of the sixth with Hunter Shrewsbury’s lead-off single and Camden Underwood’s single. Senior Tyler Waddell would then single in Shrewsbury, Jordan Lytton would draw a base on balls to load the bases and Braeden Blevins would hit a grounder that was misplayed to score Underwood. Then Jon Osteen came up and hit a shot too short and right at second base. That was turned into a double play to stop the Cougar uprising.

The Blue Demons (5-8) got two hits from Vaught as he also scored twice. Seven others had one hit each for the winners. Alex Perkins had a RBI as did Will Stout. Perkins got the save for the Demons as he pitched the seventh, striking out two as he got the Cougars to go in order in the bottom of the seventh. Stout, who relieved starter Kevin Lambert, went 4.2 innings, striking out four and giving up just one earned run.

Pulaski Co. had just five hits with Blevins, Andrew Lowe, Shrewsbury, Waddell and Underwood collecting those. Blevins had two RBIs; Waddell, Lowe and Osteen each had one run knocked in. Dylan Danner was the starting and losing pitcher as he went 4.1 innings. He surrendered six hits, five runs of which just three of those were earned. The Cougar luck or lack thereof was evident in the Christiansburg fifth inning as the Blue Demons Perkins hit a long fly ball that was dropped, and he was standing at second. He would then advance to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. Cougar head coach Jared King remarked, ”We made a couple big errors in the game and didn’t make clutch plays or get that clutch hit. I thought we looked a little rusty from being off for almost two weeks.” He then said, ”I thought Danner (Dylan) pitched well and we competed but their relievers did a real good job. I’m glad we did get the game in even though we have to play here at Christiansburg.”

The road warriors, I mean Cougars, will go back on the road Friday as they play the Spartans at Salem. First pitch slated for 5 :00 pm at Kiwanis Field.

 

 

R H E LOB

C- burg 7 9 2 8

Pul. Co. 5 5 4 6

 

 

C-burg – WP- Stout, Save – Perkins

 

Pul. Co. – LP- Danner (2-2)