By MELINDA ROBINSON — The Independent
FLATWOODS
Fri, May 16 2008
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Russell took advantage of Ashland early and posted a 10-3 win Tuesday evening. It was the Red Devils’ first win over the Tomcats since 2004 and first in coach Mike Martino’s tenure.
“We took advantage of opportunities tonight and we got some big hits,” Martino said. “I’m really proud of them because as good as we played tonight, we really didn’t play that well last night. I don’t know what they all talked about, but I could tell they had a lot more pep in their step tonight.”
The Red Devils (9-12) entered the contest fresh off a 17-5 loss to Boyd County.
“We’re trying to build momentum toward the end of the season,” Martino said. “Ashland’s got a good team and this was a good win for us.”
Ashland (18-8) had rebounded with a pair of wins after suffering a 5-2 loss to Rose Hill last week, but the team is having trouble with consistency, according to coach Jeff Wilcox.
“We’re a lot better team than this, but Russell came to play and we didn’t, so give them credit,” he said.
The teams traded RBI singles in the first inning and Ashland tacked on a run in the top of the second, but the Red Devils exploded in the home half of the inning. Aided by a hit batsman and two Ashland errors, Russell mounted a two-out rally, scoring their first of six runs on one of the errors. Tyler DeHoff drove in a pair of runs on a center-field single. Navarone Alleshouse, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI on the night, followed up with a three-run blast over the left field fence.
“The last couple of weeks, Navarone Alleshouse has just been on fire,” Martino said. “We had the right people up there and they came through.”
Ashland went to its bullpen, bringing Sam Hunter in to relieve starter Chandler Johnson. Hunter got the next Red Devil to fly out to center, but not before Russell took a commanding 7-2 lead.
Russell retired the Ashland side in the top of the third and fourth innings. Alleshouse made four of the six outs during that span and accounted for nine outs in the game.
“Navarone — at the plate and in the field — it was just his night,” Martino said.
Ashland’s Dylan Delaney reached on a Russell error in the fourth and came around to score on Caleb Rigsby’s RBI single, but the Tomcats stranded a pair of runners, trailing 7-3.
“I just don’t think we’re hitting the ball real well right now and making good contact,” Wilcox said. “I think we put the ball in play all night but we just hit it right at them.”
Russell tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when B.J. Hamilton and Alleshouse each drove in a run off a single.
Russell also got a good pitching performance from Hamilton, backed by a solid defensive effort.
“B.J. was awesome tonight,” Martino said. “He mixed up his pitches pretty well and I don’t think they got a whole lot of good swings on him.”
The senior went the distance on 97 pitches, giving up an earned run off five hits and struck out one batter.
“He did a great job of changing speeds and changing his motion to the plate, keeping our runners frozen and so forth,” Wilcox said.
Russell hosts Lewis County on Thursday while Ashland travels to Lawrence County.
ASHLAND 110 010 0 — 3 5 3
RUSSELL 160 003 x — 10 11 3
Johnson, Hunter (2), Adkins (6) and Duvall; Hamilton and Rice. W — Hamilton, L — Johnson. 2B: Slone (A), Rice (R). HR: Alleshouse (R).
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