By JIM WALKER

Tribune Sports Editor

 

COAL GROVE — It was a performance that would have pleased John Jones.

The Coal Grove Hornets dedicated their field to the late coach who died last fall and then christened the new field with a 15-2 five-inning rout of the River Valley Raiders in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Thursday.

“It was a good day and a really good crowd. Coach Jones meant a lot to the players past and present. It was nice to see the kids go out and play really well. We hit the ball and we hit it hard,” said Hornets’ coach Dean Mader.

Jessie Rigsby got the win as he gave up four hits, struck out nine and walked two.

The offense banged out 11 hits with Rigsby going 2-2 with three runs batted in and Conor Markins 2-2 as nine different players had hits.

River Valley (4-13) scored its two runs in the first inning but the Hornets (-11) answered with nine runs in the second inning.

Garrett Myers, Rigsby and Jake Jewell singled for a run. Austin Gumbert singled in a run and Mason Nance hit a sacrifice fly.

Cody Pennington and Markins singled for a run and then Jacob Pierce, Joe Colley and Myers all reached on errors as two runs scored. Rigsby then doubled to clear the bases.

The lead went to 12-2 in the third inning.

Gumbert walked, moved up on a wild pitch and Nance singled. Nance stole second and Gumbert scored on the throw. Nance went to third on an error and Pennington hit a sacrifice fly. Markins walked, moved up on an error and scored on Pierce’s base hit.

The final three runs scored in the fourth.

Elijah Ford was hit by a pitch, Jordan Beals walked and Brandon Doyle singled home pinch-runner Shane Reynolds. An error scored the final two runs.

River Valley 200 00 = 2 4 9

Coal Grove 093 3x = 15 11 0

Chris Clemente, Jo Jo Lloyd (3) and Trey Noble. Jessie Rigsby and Jake Jewell. W-RIgsby (K-9, BB-2). L-Clemente (K-3, BB-2). 2B-CG: Jessie Rigsby. Hitting-RV: Nick Jeffers 1-3, Jo Jo Lloyd 1-2, Zach Crowe 1-3, Chris Clemente 1-2; Coal Grove: Garrett Myers 1-3, Jessie Rigsby 2-2 3-rbi, Jake Jewell 1-3 rbi, Austin Gumbert 1-1 rbi, Mason Nance 1-2 2-rbi, Cody Pennington 1-2, Conor Markins 2-3 rbi, Jacob Pierce 1-3, Brandon Doyle 1-1 rbi.