Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

SOUTH POINT — It all came together.

The Coal Grove Hornets got pitching, defense and hitting as they beat the South Point Pointers 8-2 on Wednesday in an Ohio Valley Conference game.

“Rutherford threw a good game, we played good defense and we hit the ball well. Those are the three main areas of the game and we did them well and when you do that good things happen,” said Hornets’ coach Dean Mader.

Daniel Rutherford struck out six, walked one and gave up just four hits to get the win for the Hornets (8-5, 5-2) who made just one error.

Coal Grove had 11 hits as Jacob Pierce went 3-for-3 with a double and Jacob Clark and Dylan Malone were 3-4. Malone had a double and three RBI.

The Hornets took a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Clark and Rutherford singled and an outfield error allowed Clark to score. Jesse Rigsby hit a sacrifice fly, Pierce walked and Malone singled in a run.

The Pointers cut the gap to 3-2 in the third when Christian Pritchard singled, stole second, went to third on a passed ball, scored on Chris Woodard’s hit and Alex Whitt reached on a dropped fly ball that scored Woodard.

But the Hornets got the runs back in the fourth.

Malone doubled, Jeb Jones was hit by a pitch, they moved up on a double steals and Malone scored on a passed ball. Clark then singled home the second run.

Rigsby, Pierce and Malone all singled in the fifth to make it 6-2.

The final two runs scored in the seventh when double by Pierce, Sean Paulus reach on a dropped third strike, Malone’s RBI ground out, a walk to Jones and three straight passed balls.

Coal Grove hosts Chesapeake on Thursday and visits Fairland on Friday.

Coal Grove 300 210 2 = 8 11 1

South Point 002 000 0 = 2 4 2

Daniel Rutherford and Jesse Rigsby. Logan Wade, Travis Dillon (6) and Christian Pritchard. W-Rutherford (K-6, BB-1). L-Wade (K-9, BB-2, H-10). Dillon (IP-2, K-4, BB-1, H-1). Hitting CG: Jacob Clark 3-4, Daniel Rutherford 1-4 rbi, Jesse Rigsby 1-4 rbi, Jacob Pierce 3-3 2B, Dylan Malone 3-4 2B rbi-3; SP: Logan Wade 1-3, Alex Whitt 1-3 2B, Douglas Shaffer 1-3, Christian Pritchard 1-2.