Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

BIDWELL — It was like the girl who kept saying “no” and then finally went out with the persistent guy and they ended up getting married.

The ball kept saying “no” to the Rock Hill Redmen for four innings and then finally began to find the open areas as they rallied for a 10-4 win over the River Valley Raiders on Thursday.

“We started slow but picked it up,” said Rock Hill coach Barry Litteral.

“We hit the ball hard all night but they didn’t start to fall until the sixth inning. Everything we hit hard seemed to go right at somebody.”

Landon Smith went the first six innings to get the win. He struck out six, walked four and only one of the four runs he allowed was earned.

“Smith’s just a freshman but he threw pretty well,” said Litteral.

Rock Hill combined seven hits, 10 walks and two hit batsmen to rack up 10 runs.

Trae Crabtree went 2-for-4 with a double to lead the offense. Kyle Stanfield was 1-3 with a double.

River Valley (3-2) was led by Justin Sizemore who went 3-4 with a double and Brycen Brumfield who was 2-3.

River Valley scored two runs in the first but Rock Hill cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second.

Kaleb Kidd walked, stole second, took third on Trae Crabtree’s base hit and Jake Blagg had an RBI single.

River Valley got single runs in the second and third innings to lead 4-1 but Rock Hill tied the game in the fifth.

Sean McFann drew a one-out walk, Stanfield and Cody Lewis walked and Kidd reached on an error as two runs scored. Lewis came home on a wild pitch.

The Redmen then put the game away with a six-run sixth inning.

Blagg was hit by a pitch, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Heath Carpenter’s RBI double. Brandon Schob followed with a run-scoring single and he scored on Stanfield’s double.

Lewis singled for another run, Kidd reached on an error and another error scored Lewis. Crabtree drilled a double to drive home courtesy runner Jarot Bacorn to cap the rally.

The Redmen play at Coal Grove on Friday to begin Ohio Valley Conference play.

Rock Hill 010 036 0 = 10 7 3

River Valley 211 000 0 = 4 5 4

Landon Smith, Sean McFann (7) and Kaleb Kidd. Brycen Brumfield, Justin Sizemore (3), Brumfield (5), Dillon Ragan (6), Fraley (7) and Jamie Bainter. W-Smith (IP-6, K-4, BB-2, R-4, ER-1, H-5). Save-McFann (IP-1, K-2). L-Sizemore. Hitting-RH: Jake Blagg 1-3, Heath Carpenter 1-5 2B, Brandon Schob 1-5, Kyle Stanfield 1-3 2B, Cody Lewis 1-3, Trae Crabtree 2-4 2B; RV: Sizemore 3-4 2B, Brumfield 2-3.