Luray belts eight hits, while Eagles commit seven errors
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, April 9 — The Eagles of Clark County have established early on that they will likely be in the “upper half” of the Bull Run District this baseball season. However, on Thursday afternoon, they had no answer for Luray, as the Bulldogs used eight hits and a stiff defense to earn its second district win, 9-1.
Luray is now 2-0 in the Bull Run District and sits in second place in the early going this season behind undefeated Strasburg (3-0, 6-2). The Bulldogs started off the season 0-3 in non-district action against larger schools, with two losses to East Rock and one to Turner Ashby.
On Thursday at Bulldog Field, Luray was hitting on all cylinders as they got a stout performance on the hill from senior and JMU-commit Connor Hilliard, their bats earned eight hits, their opponent committed seven errors, and the ‘Dawgs played flawless defense.
As Hilliard went perfect from the hill through three, the Bulldogs picked up two runs in the first off an errant throw and an RBI-single from junior Trey Guzy, and three more runs in the third off two more Eagle errors and an RBI-single by sophomore Cole Hilliard.
The JMU-bound right-hander — who has been clocked in the low 90s — showed his first weakness in the fourth, when Connor allowed two walks. He got out of the inning by hurling two strikeouts and catching an infield fly. The senior would be pulled in the fifth after allowing his first hit, but Hilliard finished the day through 4-2/3 innings allowing no runs, one hit and two walks, while striking out eight.
CCHS senior Logan Davis belted a single to centerfield to break up Hilliard’s no-hitter with two outs in the fifth. Davis had one of four Clarke hits on the day. The Eagles’ next two hits would come back-to-back in the sixth and produce Clarke’s only run of the day. Senior Aiden Wagner hit a double to centerfield that drove in sophomore Samuel Cochran, who reached base on a double to right field. Senior Leo DeSamo hit a single to right field in the seventh, but later got tagged out in a run down — the final out of the game.
The Bulldogs added to their early 5-0 lead in the fourth with two unearned runs, one a passed ball that allowed senior Nick Cubbage to steal home.
Two more runs would come in the sixth off an RBI-triple by Cubbage and an RBI-double by Connor Hilliard. Even with a total of nine runs, Luray left nine runners on base. The Bulldogs were aggressive on the basepaths as they closed out two innings with tag plays at third (second inning-above) and at home plate (third inning-below).
Luray’s 1-2-3 hitters each recorded two hits on the day — Cole Hilliard went 2-for-3 with two singles, an RBI and a walk; sophomore Caleb Cyphert went 2-for-2 with a single and a double and he was hit by a pitch; and Nick Cubbage went 2-for-3 with a single, a triple, an RBI and a walk.
Next up, Luray (2-0, 2-3) will host Turner Ashby on Monday, April 13, before traveling to Rappahannock on Tuesday, April 14.
The loss evens out Clarke in the Bull Run at 1-1, and they fall to 4-2 overall.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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