Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — There must have been something about the No. 2 that Dylan Malone liked.

Malone pitched a two-hitter, had two hits and two runs batted in as the Coal Grove Hornets rolled past the Tug Valley Panthers 11-1 in five innings on Saturday at the Marshall University Field.

“Dylan threw the ball pretty well and we hit the ball well. The wind was really strong and affected some of the balls we hit. We should have had a lot more hits,” said Coal Grove coach Dean Mader.

Malone struck out five and walked four as Coal Grove got win No. 2 in three games.

Daniel Rutherford was 3-3 with a double, a triple and three RBIs for the Hornets who had nine hits. Chase McKnight belted a 400-foot fly ball that was held up by the wind but still turned the hit into an inside-the-park home run.

Jacob Clark singled and Rutherford tripled him home to start the game. Rutherford scored on an error.

Tug Valley got its only run in the top of the second inning on a triple by Tyler Estepp and three walks.

But the Hornets answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning.

With two outs, McKnight reached on a three-base error, Clark was hit by a pitch and Rutherford had a two-run double. Rutherford then stole third and came home on a passed ball.

Coal Grove opened up a 10-1 lead in the third.

Jeb Jones tripled and Jordan Case was safe on a three-base error. Isaac Howard walked and Cole Gannon was safe on an error.

McKnight capped the rally with his home run.

The final Hornets’ run scored in the fourth when Jones walked, stole second and Malone doubled.

Coal Grove visits Portsmouth on Monday in an Ohio Valley Conference game.

Tug Valley 010 00 = 1 2 4

Coal Grove 235 1x = 11 9 0

Zack Samuel and Timothy Sturgell. Dylan Malone and Jeb Jones. W-Malone (K- 5, BB-4). L-Samuel (K-3, BB-3, HBP-2). Hitting-TV: Corbin Oliver 1-3, Tyler Estepp 1-2 3B; CG: Chase McKnight 1-4 HR rbi-2, Jacob Clark 1-2, Daniel Rutherford 3-3 2B 3B rbi-3, Jeb Jones 1-2 3B, Dylan Malone 2-3 2B rbi-2, Isaac Howard 1-3.