Greenbrier West began sectional play Monday, defeating Mount View 11-1, then playing Montcalm Tuesday evening for a 7-5 loss that ended their season.
In the Mount View game, the first inning saw all three Golden Knights batters strike out. Greenbrier West left Hunter Bevins on third base after one batter struck out, another flied out, and another got thrown out. Then Mount View, in the second, left a runner on first after a fly out, a strike out, and a throw for an out. West responded with three runs, by Marc Hamrick, Lucas Smith, and Chad Ramsey.
In the third, Mount View left a man on first after a fly out, a strike out, and a fielder’s choice. West left the bases loaded when they got their third out on a fly ball. The score was still 3-0. In the fourth, Mount View picked up its only run, and left runners stranded on first and third when they got their third out. West then had its best inning, with six runs by Bevins, D.J. Oxendine, Isaiah Childress, Hamrick, Smith, and Ramsey. When the third out came, the bases were loaded. Score 9-1.
In the fifth, a fly out to pitcher Bevins, and two throws from second base to first retired the Knights. The Cavaliers left Landon Humphries on first, with two strikeouts and one fly out to end the inning. In the sixth and final inning, Mount View left runners on second and third base, as three batters struck out. For West, Oxendine’s single brought home Chad Tygrett and Chase Hagy to end the game. When one team leads by 10 runs at any point after five innings, the game is over.
Against Montcalm Tuesday night, the Generals saw three of their batters retire in order in the first inning, with a fly out, a popup, and a strikeout. Greenbrier West then jumped to a quick lead, as Bevins and Smith crossed the plate. In the second, Montcalm had one batter thrown out by the shortstop, the next batter made it to first on an error, but was thrown out stealing second. The next batter walked, and the fourth batter struck out. West then had a strikeout, a fly out to right, and another strikeout. 2-0, West.
In the third inning, Montcalm had a strikeout, a fly out, a walk that stole second, and a hit to first for the third out. West had a fly out, a runner who reached first due to an error, but was thrown out when the next batter hit a single. The next batter struck out. In the fourth, Montcalm had a double, a strikeout, a fly out, and another strike out. West had two strikeouts and a fly out, but left men on second and third.
In the fifth, Montcalm had a throw out at first, then a batter go to first because he was hit by a pitch. The third batter struck out, and the second batter was thrown out trying to steal second. West had its first batter single, the next batter lay down a sacrifice bunt, the next batter thrown out at first by the pitcher, advancing the runner to third. The next batter was thrown out by the shortstop to end the inning.
In the sixth, Montcalm had its first batter thrown out by the shortstop. Four batters then made it to first base, the first on an error, the next three being hit by pitches. Two strikeouts ended the batting for Montcalm, leaving two batters on base. Score 3-2, Montcalm. For West, in the bottom of the sixth, a walk, an error, a sacrifice bunt, and two strikeouts resulted in one run, making the score 3-3 at the end of the sixth inning.
In the seventh, Montcalm had a batter fly out, the next strikeout, then a single, than a strikeout. West had a single, a sacrifice bunt, a strikeout, a single and a steal, and a strikeout for the third out.
In the eighth inning, four walks and two singles resulted in four runs for Montcalm. Score 7-3. West scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to make the score 7-5. They left the bases loaded, but two strikeouts ended the rally. Montcalm will advance to regionals; West is finished for the season.
