Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

COAL GROVE — Pressure? What pressure?
The Coal Grove Hornets won a close game in the final inning for the third time this season as they edged the Portsmouth Trojans 9-8 in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Wednesday.
“They don’t seem to mind the pressure. Our boys were aggressive and that impresses me. They work hard. The character of this team is great. They have each other’s back. Their work ethic is second to none,” said Hornets’ coach Blair Demetroulos.
Coal Grove (3-3, 1-1) pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
With one out, Colten Sparks got a one-out single, Evan Gannon walked and an out later Kyle Sites lined a base hit to right field to score pinch-runner Trey Hunt.
Portsmouth took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with the Hornets getting a run back in the bottom of the inning.
Tait Matney singled and Nate Harmon had an RBI double.
Coal Grove took the lead with four runs in the third.
Sites singled and stole second. Christian Workman beat out an infield hit with Sites going to third. Sites scored on an error with Workman going to second. Matney singled and Brady Doyle was safe on an error to load the bases.
Harmon hit a sacrifice fly and Sparks reached on an error as two runs scored.
The Trojans got a run in the fourth only to have the Hornets score twice.
Cory Borders walked, Sites singled and went to second on the throw to third base. Matney then doubled home both runners.
Portsmouth got single runs in the fifth and sixth to get within 7-6, but the Hornets scored a run in the sixth
Workman and Matney walked. Workman stole third and then Matney stole second with Workman coming home on the steal.
But the Trojans scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game and set up the Hornets clutch rally in the bottom of the inning.
Matney went 3-3 and Sites 3-4 as the Hornets had nine hits. Borders notched the win in relief.
Portsmouth 300 111 2 = 8 8 3
Coal Grove 104 201 1 = 9 9 5
Yeradi, Lattimore (6) and McGraw. Tait Matney, Cory Borders (6) and Colten Sparks. W- Borders (IP-2.0, H-2, R-2, ER-0, K-1, BB-0). Matney (IP-5.0, H-6, ER-6 BB-6, K-3). Borders (IP-2.0, H-2, R-2, ER-0, K-1, BB-0). L-Lattimore. Hitting-PHS: Wallace 2-2, McGraw 1-4, Sturgill 1-4, Yeradi 1-3, Johnson 1-4, Rose 1-3, Boggs 1-1; CG: Tait Matney 3-3, Nate Harmon 1-3 2B, Colten Sparks 1-4, Kyle Sites 3-4, Christian Workman 1-2.