Tazewell…On a sunny, warm afternoon the Pulaski Co. Cougars got another good pitching performance from Kellen Dalton while Jonathan Minnick singled in two runs to lead them to a 6-3 victory over Graham. This was the Cougars’ second victory in the Coppinger Tournament.

Dalton pitched five innings surrendering just three hits and striking out five. He allowed two runs but only one was earned. The Cougars had a season high 11 hits and are now 3-2. Besides Minnick’s two RBIs, Chris Remington, Bailey Ayers, Braeden Blevins and Brandon Neel all had an RBI.

Remington and Blevins both had two hits. Remington also scored twice as did lead off man Jon Osteen.

Graham got a double, single from Isaiah Justice, and Nick Miller scored twice. He also had an RBI in the fourth inning that cut the G-men deficit to just one, 3-2.

Pulaski Co. jumped on Graham starting pitcher, southpaw Chris Spease, scoring three times in the first. Minnick got the big two-run single after Ayers had doubled off the right center fence. That scored Osteen. Ahead 3-2 going into the top of the fifth, the Cougars would push two more runs across with Ayers and Hunter Shrewsbury scoring. Blevins and Neel knocked them in. They would score another run in their half of the sixth to take a 6-2 lead.

After Dalton was taken out after his well pitched five innings, Shrewsbury would come in and strike out five over the last two innings. The run he gave up was unearned in the seventh on a couple of Cougar errors.

“Kellen Dalton really pitched well again today for us,” said Cougar head coach Jared King. “Playing on back to back days I think was a big help. We got some clutch hits today as we have been looking forward to playing in this Coppinger Tourney.”

Cougars will be back in action either Tuesday or Wednesday against a team to be determined. The only sure thing as of this writing is the game will be at Bowen Field in Bluefield.

 

 

 

Pulaski Co. 3 0 0 0 2 1 0 – 6

Graham 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 – 3

 

R H E LOB

Pulaski Co. 6 11 4 9

Graham 3 3 1 7

 

Pulaski Co. – WP – Dalton (2-0) – Save – Shrewsbury

Graham – LP – Spease

BASEBALL

Pulaski Co. 6 Graham 3 – Coppinger Tournament

Tazewell 22 Mount View (WV) 1 – Coppinger Tournament

Honaker 16 Summers Co. 4 – Coppinger Tournament

Princeton (WV) 13 Bluefield (WV) 6 – Coppinger Tournament

Wm. Byrd 8 Hiden Valley 5

PH-Glade Spring 7 Geo. Wythe 1 – Championship- Yo-Na Tournament

Chilhowie 23 Northwood 3 – Third Place – Yo-Na Tournament

Bland Co. 16 Rural Retreat 12 – Fifth Place – Yo-Na Tournament

Narrows 12 Montcalm(WV) 0 – Seventh Place – Yo-Na Tournament

Princeton…Playing in the 45th annual Coppinger Tournament, the Cougars got a big fifth inning for a 7-4 win over Greater Beckley Christian in a game played at Hunnicut Field in Princeton, WV.

Jon Osteen had three RBIs and scored twice. Trent Blankenship had three hits with two RBIs. They also got a fine relieve pitching effort from Caleb Kirtner. Kirtner came in to pitch starting the third inn and went five full innings as he scattered seven hits. He allowed just two runs of which only one was earned. He struck out five.

The Cougars were down 4-3 going into the top of the fifth but Jonathan Minnick singled, Hunter Shrewsbury drew a walk, and then with one out, Drew Mabry singled to load the bases. After a strikeout, Osteen would then rip a double to drive in two. Blankenship would then single to score two more.

Greater Beckley was down 3-0 going into the bottom of the third but scored on a wild pitch, and a Tanner Buchanan single cut their deficit to one, 3-2. They would then tie the game in the third and take the lead in the fourth before the Cougar uprising.

Buchanan lead the Crusaders as he had a couple hits and knocked in one. Garrett Matherly was two for four with a run scored and a RBI. They left at least one runner on base in all seven innings.

“Caleb Kirtner pitched real well in relieve for us,” said Cougar head coach Jared King. “He then added, “Jon (Osteen) and Trent (Blankenship) really came through with big hits in the fifth. This win means we get a third in the Coppinger Tournament next week.”

The Cougars play Graham at Tazewell Middle School next and will play again either Tuesday or Wednesday at Bowen Field in Bluefield.

 

R H E LOB

Pulaski Co. 1 2 0 0 4 0 0 – 7 8 3 9

Gr. Beckley 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 – 4 9 0 13

 

 

Pulaski Co. – WP – Kirtner – (1-0)

Gr. Beckley – LP – Wolfe

Roanoke…The Cougar baseball team traveled to Roanoke on a pretty afternoon. Unfortunately their bats were mainly silent and they committed too many errors as they lost to Hidden Valley 4-2.

The Titans scored early on Cougar southpaw pitcher Brandon Neel. Jordan Culver hit a home run and a triple that drove in three runs. He also pitched one and two-thirds innings, striking out one. He relieved Hidden Valley’s starting and winning pitcher, Will Marston. Marston got the win as he went four and one-third innings. He scattered three hits and struck out six. They scored two runs in the first and one in the second to go up 3-0. Besides Culver, Noah Sadler had two hits and Conner O’Donnell had their other hit.

Pulaski Co. got one run in the third and one in the fourth to cut the margin to one run 3-2 after four. Trent Blankenship and Jon Howlett had the RBIs as Jonathan Minnick and Howlett scored runs. That was all the batting the Cougars could come up with against Marston. Cougar defense committed five errors and two of the four runs by Hidden Valley were unearned.

The Titans left 12 men on base as the Cougar pitchers, Neel and Bailey Ayers, left men stranded for most of the contest.

Cougars top of the lineup, top four in the order, had only one hit as they were one for 13.

The Cougars record fell to 1-2 overall and 1-2 in River Ridge District play. They will be back on the road Friday at Princeton and then Saturday at Tazewell Middle School. They will be playing in the Coppinger Tournament both days. Cougars will take on Greater Beckley, Friday at Princeton’s Hunnicut Field. That’s where the Princeton Rays minor league team plays. Saturday they take on the Graham G-men at Tazewell Middle School. Friday’s game starts at 5:00 pm and then Saturday’s game is slated for 1:00 pm.

 

R H E LOB

 

Hidden Valley 2 1 0 0 0 1 X – 4 5 0 12

 

Pulaski Co. 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 – 2 3 5 5

 

 

HV – WP – Marston

 

PC – LP – Neel (0-1)