Gallery by Greg Barnett
Gardner – Prior to Friday’s sectional championship with Bluefield, PikeView installed a new scoreboard.
The visiting Beavers gave it a workout.
Bluefield erupted for eight runs in the opening frame and the game was never in doubt in a 14-1 five-inning victory in Gardner.
With the win the Beavers force a decisive Saturday matchup back in Gardner with the winner advancing to the regional round and the loser calling it a season.
After a 16-hit, 16-run showing on Thursday night against Wyoming East, the Beavers picked right up where they left off, sending 14 batters to the plate in the opening frame. After that there wasn’t much intrigue.
“You always preach that – to start from the get go,” Blueifeld coach Jimmy Redmond said. “Throughout the year it seems like we’ve struggle to start up. The other day we started up but then we kind of went in coast mode but I think we just kept our foot on gas today and Caleb (Fuller) pitched a hell of a game and we hit.”
Bluefield’s first four batters all reached base and scored in the opening frame with Fuller setting the table with a leadoff single. Landon Crane reached when he was hit by a pitch and Bryson Redmond collected the first RBI of the day with a single that plated Fuller.
Hunter Harmon made it a 2-0 game with a single and PikeView starter Jared Vestal found some relief when he secured the first out with a fielder’s choice. But the nightmare continued. An error at second, a single and a hit batsman with the bases loaded kept the train rolling, expanding the lead to 5-0.
The assault never relented as Fuller eventually secured his second hit of the inning with a two RBI single and Redmond joined him in the two-hit club with a double to score the last run of the inning.
When the dust settled Fuller took the mound in the bottom of the frame up 8-0.
“I thought Bluefield did a great job of attacking (Vestal’s) pitches in the zone,” PikeView head coach Josh Wyatt said. “They put balls in play that were strikes across the plate. We had an opportunity twice in the first inning for a double play and we didn’t make them. Balls went up in the air that we should catch in this championship game. If we’re a team that’s going to win this we should’ve been out of the inning with at least three runs. Get a little gut check and breather and start over but we just couldn’t find a way to kill it.”
PikeView scored its lone run in the bottom of the second when Peyton Greer reached on a fielder’s choice, scooted to second when the throw went low and advanced all the way around the bases when the throw from the first base side down to second bounced into the outfield.
It made little difference with the Beavers getting it back in the top of the third when a pair of PikeView errors allowed Crane to reach and ultimately score.
Bluefield never relented, adding another run in the fourth and exploding for four more in the top of the fifth to invoke the five inning mercy rule.
In total the Beavers finished with 15 hits, a trend they’ll hope to carry into Saturday’s title matchup. Though it will likely be harder with both teams throwing their aces.
PikeView will turn to ace Nathan Riffe who has pitched against the Beavers three times, allowing 16 hits and seven earned runs in 19.2 innings while boasting a 2-1 record.
Bluefield will roll with Hunter Harmon who is 1-1 with five earned runs and 19 strikeouts in 12 innings against the Panthers.
“This team has got to show up and be ready to put balls in play and be ready to make plays,” Wyatt said. “I think that was the difference in us defensively today. You could see from the step of the ball coming off we were sitting on balls and not coming up and making a play. Just a little bit of fear to be the guy in the moment. When you’re that guy playing with that fear errors happen, so e’ve got to shake that and find some leadership for tomorrow.”
Saturday’s game will start at 1 p.m.
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