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Cougars romp to early wins, fall once to Morgantown

By Staff | Mar 29, 2019

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Harsh weather descended on Sager Field as Jefferson opened its 2019 baseball season, by routing visiting Berkeley Springs, 21-2, and Blue Ridge, Pennsylvania, 30-1, in its first two games.

Opening night against Berkeley Springs was cold and without much warmth at all for the visiting Indians, who would defeat Washington by mercy-rule scores in its next two games after falling hard against the Cougars.

Blue Ridge, a small school which annually visits this area in the early spring of each season, was again no match for the Cougars.

After easily dispatching its first two opponents, the Cougars used the complete-game pitching of Taylor Tennant to quiet the offense of Martinsburg. In taming the Bulldogs, 3-1, Tennant went all seven innings and allowed only two hits, while fanning seven and walking only one. The lone run he allowed was earned.

Coleson Titus was 2-for-2 and scored two of Jefferson’s three runs. Titus drove in a run and stole two bases as the Cougars moved along to 3-0.

Stevie Lee and Mason Lantz had Jefferson’s only other hits. Lee’s hit was a triple.

The teams were tied at 1-1 after four innings, before the Cougars took the lead for good with a two-run fifth inning.

Last Saturday, Jefferson met equally unbeaten Morgantown in a doubleheader at windy Sager Field.

With the first game tied at 6-6 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars scored three runs, taking a 9-6 lead and then cutting short a Morgantown rally in the seventh to post a 9-7 win.

Dylan McCartney got credit for the win, with five innings of relief work. He yielded six hits and three runs (only two earned), while striking out three and issuing five walks. Tennant relieved McCartney in the seventh and got the game’s last two outs to get credit for a save.

Cullen Horowicz had a Jefferson home run, Hayden Stang was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a double, Stevie Lee went 2-for-4, Tennant was 2-for-3 and Titus was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

Morgantown exacted some revenge in the nightcap by dealing the Cougars their first loss of the season, 9-1, by erupting for six runs in the top of the sixth.

Luke Payne (3.1 innings pitched, four hits, four runs, three earned runs, three strikeouts, three walks and one home run allowed) was the losing pitcher in relief of starter James Walsh. Walsh went two innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a home run.

Jefferson managed only three hits with Stang getting a triple, Lee a single and Cory Daly a single.

The Cougars were 4-1 moving to Monday of this week, when they met unbeaten Hedgesville. Morgantown was 3-1 overall.