Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

COAL GROVE — Forget pitching and defense. This one was about hitting and scoring.

The Coal Grove Hornets got 12 hits and outscored the St. Joseph Flyers 11-7 Monday in the season opener.

“This group has the potential to be a good hitting team. We should be a good defensive team, we just need to get some pitching,” said Hornets’ coach Dean Mader.

“We have three freshmen and two sophomores starting, so we’re a young team.”

The Flyers had nine hits but were guilty of four errors.

“We made three critical errors at big spots in the game and give them credit. They hit the ball,” said Flyers’ coach Brent Wirzfeld.

“I was happy with how we hit the ball.”

St. Joseph got two runs in the first inning on a two-run homer by Cole Willis.

Coal Grove came back to take the lead with three runs in the bottom of the inning.

Mason Nance doubled and Conor Markins singled for a run. Daniel Rutherford doubled home a run and Travis Carey had an RBI single.

The Hornets scored four times in the second to lead 7-3.

A passed ball third strike, a hit by Jake Clark and D.J. Miller’s RBI single produced a run. A passed ball scored a run, Jesse Rigsby had an RBI single and Carey’s sacrifice fly capped the rally.

Coal Grove added two runs in the third and single runs in the fourth and fifth.

The Flyers got two runs in the fourth when Bradley Rist singled, Trey Neal and Jacob Clark reached on errors and Hunter Pemberton had an RBI single. Bryson Adkins was hit by a pitch to force in a run.

Two more scored in the sixth on hits by Clark and Pemberton, a wild pitch and a passed ball.

The Flyers’ final run came in the seventh when Chris Lewis singled, Rist reached on an error and Trey Young’s ground out.

On Tuesday, the Flyers host Sciotoville East and the Hornets entertain Hunt. St. Joe.

St. Joseph 200 202 1 = 7 9 7

Coal Grove 341 111 x = 11 11 3

Hunter Pemberton and Joey Bush. Conor Markins and Jesse Rigsby. W-Markins (K-4, BB-2, ER-2). L-Pemberton (6-ER, K-7, BB-2). 2B-CG: D.J. Miller, Mason Nance, Daniel Rutherford. HR-SJ: Cole Willis. Hitting-SJ: Hunter Pemberton 2-5, Joseph Payton 1-4, Bryson Adkins 1-4, Cole Willis 1-3 2-rbi, Zack McGraw 1-4, Chris Lewis 2-4, Bradley Rist 1-4, Jacob Clark 1-3; CG: D.J. Miller 1-5 2-rbi, Mason Nance 1-4, Jesse Rigsby 2-4 2-rbi, Conor Markins 2-4 2-rbi, Daniel Rutherford 2-4 2-rbi, Travis Carey 1-4 rbi, Jake Clark 2-3, Luke McGraw 1-1 rbi.