ELKINS, W.Va. — Elkins senior southpaw Matt Gainer struck out ten batters in five innings of work as the Tigers won their fifth consecutive game, 11-1 over Lincoln. The game was stopped after five innings due to the ’10-run’ rule.
Gainer yielded just one hit while striking out the side twice. An RBI single from Lincoln’s Camden Brown scored Hunter Moore for the Cougars’ lone run of the contest. “He has been a shutdown pitcher for years,” said Elkins head coach Jack Crumm.
“He has really worked this winter so we are pleased with what he is doing.”
The Tigers scored in every inning, scoring multiple runs in the second, fourth and fifth frames.
After a 1-3 start to the season at a Myrtle Beach tournament, the Tigers (6-3) have won five consecutive games. “When we went down to Myrtle Beach we learned a lot about ourselves as a team,” Crumm said.
“The guys decided they wanted to be better. They want to be an upper echelon team. We have to do the little things right to make that happen.”
Elkins features a veteran squad with nine seniors leading the way on the varsity roster. They were eliminated in the 2018 sectional tournament by 5-time defending state champion Bridgeport. “We feel pretty strongly that we have been the second best team (in the sectional) for about three years. We just don’t want to be second-best anymore,” Crumm said.
Lincoln (3-1) was dealt their first loss of the season.