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Oak Glen’s bats heat up in snowy opener

PLAYING IN THE SNOW — Oak Glen’s Josh Cline gets ready to make a throw looking for an out after fielding a ground ball during Saturday’s season opening win over Weirton Madonna at Edwin J. Bowman Field. The teams battled each other and light snowfall at times. (Photo by Andrew Grimm)

WEIRTON — When game time rolled around at Edwin J. Bowman Field for the season opening match up between Oak Glen and Madonna, it was around 32 degrees and some light snow was falling.

In the fourth inning, the Golden Bears bats heated things up during the cold afternoon contest with a seven run outburst that proved to be the difference in a 12-7 victory.

“The start was a little rough,” Oak Glen coach TJ Miller said. “Obviously it was 32 degrees at start time and both teams were suffering a little bit. It showed for us in the field. We were a little rough to start on the mound and the field. These guys got going and hit the ball hard today. Madonna is a well-coached team. This is a real good win for us.”

Blue Dons (0-1) senior starting pitcher Chayce Lemley exited the game with a 3-1 lead after 2 2-3 innings of work, striking out a pair and walking one with one earned run against. After junior Nick Paul got a groundout to end the top half of the third and Golden Bears (1-0) starter Kaleb Dailey put up a zero in the bottom half, Oak Glen rattled off six straight hits off of Madonna relievers to start the fourth inning, highlighted by Hunter Patterson’s two run triple off of Paul that gave his team its first lead.

“We had that real big inning with some great hits out of some young guys,” Miller said. “Hunter Patterson is a freshman and came up big with a big hit in the middle of the game. We battled back.

“Both teams were on strict pitch counts. It was early and cold and we wanted to protect arms. Both teams, I think, are going to get better from here.”

Madonna coach Tim Provenzano chalked it up to youth and it being the first game of the season.

“It was a lack of focus is what it is,” he said. “We beat them (without the fourth inning). We just had the one inning with a lack of focus and that is something we have got to clean up. It is the first game of the year. We had a couple freshman in there for their first time on the field. It’s just the first game, that’s how I am going to look at it.”

He said the fourth inning letdown will be a teaching point for his club to learn from going forward.

“Absolutely it’s a teaching point,” Provenzano said. “You can’t let up for that one minute because guess what we did and they scored seven runs.”

Dailey finished with three earned runs against and four strikeouts while issuing six free passes in 3 innings on the mound for Miller. He was replaced by Garrett Brewer, who closed out the final four innings with four runs against, five punchouts and three walks.

After the Golden Bears tacked on two more runs in each the fifth and sixth innings, Madonna started to rally in the bottom of the sixth. Paul knocked in two with a double, followed up by an RBI by senior Tyler Wright to get back within five.

With two outs, Luke Beatty reached on an error and Mac Raymond drew a walk to put two on, but Brewer ended the threat with an inning ending strikeout, then proceeded to put up a zero in the bottom of the seventh, started with another strikeout, to close out the win for the Golden Bears.

“Coach gave us some hand warmers so we were good out there,” Brewer said. “Everything worked out really well, everyone hit the ball. A lot of freshman stepped up today, we’ve got a young team that is really good. Everyone was hyped up in the dugout. Once we got going everyone was up.

“I’ve got to work on a little bit of location but it felt good. Everything was working, the offspeed was working.”

Gavin Dietrich, who started at shortstop for Madonna and pitched the final 1 2-3 innings, scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and Wright drove in a pair of run in the second with his first of two doubles.

Ian Creese finished the day 3 for 5 at the plate for the Golden Bears with a pair of doubles and 2 RBIs. Josh Cline, Dailey and Bryson Wells each finished with two singles and an RBI.

Oak Glen travels to face Linsley on Monday, while Madonna is also back in action on Monday facing Hundred at Bowman Field.

“I told these guys to enjoy it now, they earned it,” Miller said. “Enjoy it now because we’ve got to get back to work for Monday.”

Oak Glen 12, Madonna 7

Oak Glen 0-1-0-7-2-2-0 — 12 14 2

Madonna 1-2-0-1-0-3-0 — 7 6 2

Oak Glen (1-0): Dailey (3R (3ER), 4K, 6BB), Brewer (4R (4ER), 5K, 3BB) and Wells.

Madonna (0-1): C. Lemley (1R (1ER), 2K, 1BB), Paul (5R (5ER), 0K, 0BB), Mazur (5R (4ER), 0K, 1BB, 1HBP), Dietrich (1R (1ER), 2K, 3BB) and Beatty.

DOUBLES: Oak Glen 4 (Creese 2, Kerr, Geisse); Madonna 5 (Dietrich 2, Paul 2, Raymond). TRIPLES: Oak Glen 1 (Patterson); Madonna none. HOME RUNS: Oak Glen none; Madonna none. RBIs: Oak Glen Dailey, M. Lemley, Brewer, Cline, Creese, Wells, Kerr, Almo 2, Patterson 2, Geisse; Madonna Paul 4, Wright.

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