Fields made an impact start in the regular season opener Monday as he fired a two-hitter to lead the Coal Grove Hornets to a 2-1 win over the Northwest Mohawks in five innings.

Tuesday, March 28, 2000

Fields made an impact start in the regular season opener Monday as he fired a two-hitter to lead the Coal Grove Hornets to a 2-1 win over the Northwest Mohawks in five innings.

"Fields wasn’t that sharp in our preseason, but he told me not to worry and he turned it on. He threw a heck of a game," Hornets coach John Jones said.

"They had a looper over short and a slow roller in the infield for their two hits. They didn’t hit anything hard."

Fields struck out nine and walked three for the win.

Coal Grove took a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

Ryan Brown reached on a catcher’s interference, went to second on a wild pitch, took third on a passed ball, and scored when Josh Collins singled.

Northwest tied the game in the fourth, but the Hornets got the winning run with no outs in the fifth.

Collins, Fields, and Tim McClean all walked to load the bases and Jarrod Keaton delivered the game-winning single off the left field fence.

"I knew if (Keaton) hit the ball he was going to hit it hard," said Jones of the game-winning hit.

Keaton went 2-for-3 to lead all hitters.

Coal Grove plays at South Point Monday in an Ohio Valley Conference game.

Northwest 000 10 – 1 2 2

Coal Grove 001 01 – 2 4 0

Montgomery, Hall (3), Stiverson (4) and Lang. Josh Fields and Dean Mader. W-Fields (9-K, 3-W). L-Stiverson. Hitting-Coal Grove: Jarrod Keaton 2-3 (RBI), Josh Collins 1-2, Dean Mader 1-2.

Gallipolis 5, Fairland 2

PROCTORVILLE – Justin McKinnis clubbed a three-run homer in the seventh inning to lift the Gallipolis Blue Devils past the Fairland Dragons 5-2 in the season opener for both teams.

The loss spoiled a strong pitching performance by the Dragons K. C. Jones who allowed five hits, struck out eight, and walked just one.

"It was a pretty good ball game, we just didn’t win," Fairland coach Roger Snyder said. "K. C. Jones pitched seven good innings. If we get that kind of effort out of him all the time, I’ll be happy."

After Gallipolis went up 1-0 in the top of the second, Fairland got two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Josh Dunfee walked, stole second, and scored on a hit by Kyle Leadmon. Ryan Boso singled Leadmon to third and an error sent home the second run.

Gallipolis tied the game in the sixth to set up McKinnis game-winning home run.

Fairland plays at Green Tuesday.

Gallipolis 010 001 3 – 5 5 4

Fairland 020 000 0 – 2 4 3

Heath Rothgeb and Justin McKinnis. K. C. Jones and Schneider. W-Rothgeb (7-K, 3-W). L-Jones (8-K, 1-W). 2B-Fairland: Stuart Shepherd. HR-Gallipolis: McKinnis.