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Patience Pays Off For Linsly in Win

Cadets score eight in first inning to beat OG

Photo by Josh Strope Linsly’s Nate Rush takes a swing during the Cadets’ Opening Day victory against Oak Glen. Catching for the Golden Bears is Bryson Walls.

WHEELING–After patiently awaiting the arrival of baseball season, the Linsly hitters continued to show patience at the plate in their season opener.

The Cadets’ first six batters reached base via walk as they pushed eight runs across the plate in the first inning on their way to a 13-0 win over Oak Glen at Holloway Field on Monday.

Linsly drew nine walks in the five-inning victory and added seven timely hits, as well.

“I was really proud of them,” Linsly coach Jay Cartwright said. “We are trying to get quality at-bats and trying to make sure they are swinging at the right pitches. We did that (Monday).

“We waited on good pitches and worked some counts and that patience paid off. Their pitcher was struggling a little bit and we just have to take advantage of those situations as hitters. You can’t really push the envelop and chase something out of the zone.”

The Cadets also took advantage of four errors by the Golden Bears, one in each inning of the game.

“We can’t start the game off with six walks and four errors in the field,” Oak Glen coach T.J. Miller said.

“We made some mistakes but we are a young team and they are going to make some mistakes.

“I put them in position to see what they got. All we can do is improve, get better and have a short memory.”

On the hill for Cartwright’s squad was senior Jake Auten, who spun a three-hitter in four innings, while striking out four and walking three.

“Jake has had a great offseason,” Cartwright said. “He has thrown a lot of bullpens to get ready and he has been sharp since practice started. His stuff looked good (Monday). I did think his breaking ball wasn’t what I’ve seen from him in the past but it might have been the cold weather, too. He didn’t use it much but he is a great breaking ball pitcher.

“He is going to be right in the middle of things for us this year. It’s nice to have that senior out there in the middle of the diamond. He gives you the edge and calmness. There is no substitute for experience.”

The 2018 campaign started off with an early 3-0 lead for Linsly before anyone even swung the bat. Following six consecutive walks to start the game, Miller made a pitching change as Michael Lemley came in to relieve Josh Cline.

After a Marshall Taylor groundout to score a run, Jules Giovengo delivered a RBI knock and Nate Rush plated a pair on a hit up the middle to cap off an eight-run first.

Eli Petho kicked off the second frame with a single and made his way around the bases thanks to a wild pitch, a passed ball and another RBI groundout by Taylor.

Giovengo garnered his second RBI later in the frame with a line drive to left-center field that scored Hunter Kelley and softened the cushion to 10-0.

Freshman Kobe Hill made his presence felt in the fourth with a RBI hit and the Cadets added two more on an error, to complete the opening day scoring.

“These guys have gelled well together,” Cartwright said. “We have senior leadership and young kids. It’s going to be a fun year I think.

“They’re into the game and they like the mental aspect of the game. The learning curve has been really sharp for them and it’s been fun.

“We have a little different style of team this year. It’s more of a base-running and small ball type of game but that’s a fun style to play. That’s the way I grew up playing the game.”

Lee Cartwright pitched a scoreless fifth inning for Linsly, while Lemley tossed three innings of relief and finished with a pair of strikeouts for Oak Glen, before Blake Almo pitched the fourth, walking two and striking out one.

“Lemley came in and showed a lot of mental focus and toughness on the hill,” Miller said. “He pitched very well.

“We just got in a hole early that we couldn’t climb out of. Hats off to Linsly. They have a great program and they are well coached and very disciplined and they showed that (Monday). Jay does a really good job with them and this game just shows us where we’re at early in the season. We’ll just have to get after it and get better.”

Cameron 10, Clay-Battelle 0

CAMERON–Noah Neely was lighting up the strike zone as he struck out 10 and allowed just three hits, leading Cameron over visiting Clay-Battelle.

Jessop Broughton paced the Dragons’ offense with three hits and two RBI, while Trin Scott tripled, singled and drove in one and Trey Scott supplied a pair of hits. Garrett Scott also knocked in a pair of runs in the win.

Ritchie County 11, Paden City 1

ELLENBORO–Ritchie County used a four-run third inning to take down visiting Paden City in its season opener.

The Wildcats were led by Ryan Cross who delivered a double.

SOFTBALL

East Fairmont 10, Weir 8 (Suspended)

WEIRTON–Alivia Rosnick homered and drove in two runs for Weir before the game was suspended due to darkness.

Sophia Mikula recorded two hits and a RBI, Abriana Fuscardo turned in a single and a triple, Maddie DiLullo accounted for a double and a single and Lexey Brenneman added two RBI for the Red Riders.

COLLEGE

BASEBALL

Concord 3-6, West Liberty 0-5

ATHENS–The West Liberty University baseball team dropped both ends of a Mountain East Conference doubleheader at Concord on Monday.

West Liberty seemed to be in complete control during the second game after Coby Eckstein’s three-run home run highlighted a five-run third inning uprising. Mitchell Viakley carried a one-hit shutout into the sixth inning before tiring but WLU still held a 5-3 lead heading to the seventh.

After Concord loaded the bases with one out against the Hilltopper bullpen, West Liberty got the second out of the inning on a strikeout. Evan Webb walked on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run and Brett Simmons followed with a single down the left field line to bring home the tying and winning runs.

Eckstein had another multi-hit game with a single to go along with his three-run blast while Chad Matthus added two singles. Justice Jackson had a single and an RBI while Chad Harper doubled to lead off the third.

UVa.-Wise 14-6, Wheeling Jesuit 1-5

WISE, Va.–The Cardinals broke out the long ball on a sunny Monday. Wheeling Jesuit sent three ball over the fence, but UVa.-Wise prevailed in both ends of the Mountain East Conference baseball twinbill.

With two out in the first inning of the opener, Tristan Grimes put WJU (1-11, 0-4 MEC North) on top 1-0 with a solo homer. The Cavaliers (5-12, 2-2 MEC South), though, struck back in a big way with six runs in the first and at least two more in each of the second through fourth frames in the going away first game.

Logan Schickler and Bobby Truelove pelted two-run homers in back-to-back innings to help WJU tie the game, 5-5, in the third. The contest remained deadlocked until UVa.-Wise’s David Thomas connected for a solo shot over right field in the home fifth and his team held on for the one-run late win. Hayden Hizer added a second-game single to go with his homer.

SOFTBALL

Notre Dame 7-1, West Liberty 3-2

WEST LIBERTY–The West Liberty University softball team split a Mountain East Conference doubleheader with Notre Dame Monday afternoon at the WLU Softball Complex.

Coach Herb Minch’s Hilltoppers (8-6, 2-2) dropped the opener to the Falcons (6-11, 2-2) but rebounded with a walk-off win in the second game.

Freshman hurler Makenzie Amend led the way in the finale. The hard-throwing righthander held the visitors to just two hits and a single unearned run while striking out six and issuing only one walk in improving to 5-1 on the young season.

Wheeling Jesuit 5-9, Urbana 2-0

URBANA–After a tough schedule early season, the Cardinals are trying to put things together in Mountain East Conference play. Wheeling Jesuit plated three in the fifth inning of game 1, before Mallory Chapman pitched her second shutout in two days and Courtney Rogers blasted a two-run homer to take both ends of Monday’s doubleheader in five innings, at Urbana.

Chapman was stellar in the circle. The senior went all 12 frames where she allowed only two earned runs and five hits with three walks to 15 strikeouts.

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