West Liberty-Salem 3, Triad 0
By: Gavyn Heitman, Student Reporter
West Liberty-Salem used timely hitting and strong pitching to defeat Triad 3-0 in a tightly contested, defense-heavy matchup, completing a back-to-back series sweep.
Both teams struggled to generate offense early, as pitching and defensive plays set the tone. Triad’s JJ Roberts worked out of trouble in the opening inning, forcing a groundout and picking off a runner at first after issuing a walk. West Liberty-Salem threatened in the second when Josiah Johnson doubled and advanced to third, but Triad escaped with a strikeout and popout to keep the game scoreless.
Triad found some early offense with Alfred Johnson laying down a bunt single, followed by Duncan Funderburgh driving a ball into the gap. However, the Cardinals were unable to capitalize, as Johnson was thrown out at the plate and a pickoff helped end the threat.
The Tigers broke through in the fourth inning during a two-out rally. Johnson singled and stole second to move into scoring position before Braeden Hershberger delivered an RBI single to give West Liberty-Salem a 1-0 lead.
Offense remained hard to come by for Triad, as Tigers pitcher Timmy Howells recorded key strikeouts, including two in the fourth inning. West Liberty-Salem added another run later in the game when Howells contributed offensively, reaching base and eventually scoring during another late rally to extend the lead.
Triad mounted a threat in the fifth with two-out singles from Funderburgh and Connor Hayes, but a groundout ended the inning. Both teams remained locked in defensively through the sixth.
In the seventh, the Tigers added an insurance run. After Bayes Lapp reached base, Tucker Searles entered as a pinch runner and later scored on a ground ball error, providing the final margin in the 3-0 win.
Triad falls to 1-3 and will host Ridgemont next, while West Liberty-Salem improves to 3-2 and will look to extend its three-game win streak against Madison Plains.
Riverside 13, Northridge 0 (5 innings)
Riverside dominated from start to finish behind a stellar pitching performance from Cooper Crouch, who struck out 11 batters in a five-inning shutout victory over Northridge.
After allowing a one-out walk in the first, Crouch settled in quickly by striking out the side, setting the tone for the Pirates. Riverside’s offense followed with a huge opening inning, capitalizing on walks, hits, and defensive miscues.
The first three batters reached base, and the Pirates got on the board with a sacrifice fly from Camden Shoe. Tony Robinson then reached on an error that brought in another run, and Syler Clark later stole home to make it 3-0. Carson Manning added an RBI single, and Riverside continued to pile on with bases-loaded walks and hits to stretch the lead to 7-0 after just one inning.
Crouch remained in control on the mound, striking out the side again in the second and allowing no more than one baserunner in any inning.
The Pirates added six more runs in the fourth to seal the run-rule victory. Braden Moore delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded, and a series of walks, a hit-by-pitch, and an error helped extend the lead to 13-0.
Robinson led Riverside with a 2-for-4 performance and two runs scored. In total, eight players recorded hits, six drove in runs, and nine different players scored. The Pirates finished with nine hits and drew ten walks.
Riverside improves to 6-1 and will travel to face Troy Christian next.
Mechanicsburg 4, Fairbanks 2
Mechanicsburg remained unbeaten with a balanced 4-2 win over Fairbanks, completing a sweep in their back-to-back series.
Fairbanks struck first in the opening inning with a two-out rally, using a double followed by an RBI single to take an early lead. Mechanicsburg responded immediately in the bottom half, drawing three walks to load the bases before Matthew Davis delivered a two-run single to give the Indians the lead. A dropped fly ball later in the inning allowed another run to score, making it 3-1.
Fairbanks cut into the deficit in the third inning, taking advantage of a Mechanicsburg error to make it 3-2. The Indians answered in the fourth when Connor Eyink drove in Crew Lafary with a sacrifice fly to restore a two-run cushion.
From there, pitching took over. Both teams managed just one baserunner apiece over the final three innings. Davis came on in relief for Mechanicsburg and was dominant, allowing only one walk while striking out four batters and not surrendering a hit to close out the win.
Davis also led the offense with two hits and two RBIs, while Lafary added two hits and scored twice.
Mechanicsburg improves to 4-0 and will face Greenon in its next matchup.
