HURRICANE, W.Va. — Defending Class AAA state champion Hurricane scored in each inning in a 19-3 victory over Spring Valley at Lola Meeks Field on Wednesday. The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
The top-ranked Redskins scored six runs in the first inning and pounded out 13 hits in another sterling offensive performance. Hurricane (14-2) has scored ten runs or more in nine of their sixteen games.
“Our guys came out ready to play,” said Hurricane head coach Brian Sutphin. “They are just trying to get better everyday. It was great to see them come out against a good Spring Valley team and compete like they did in the first (inning).”
Junior left-hander Brenden Lewis picked up the win, tossing four shutout innings while striking out six. “They had some good at bats early on,” Sutphin said. “He never stopped coming at them, getting ahead, changing speeds and doing his thing.”
Wyatt Milum’s three-run homer in the fifth provided the only offense for No. 10 Spring Valley (9-7).
Hurricane graduated 10 seniors from last year’s state championship squad. But a younger group of Redskins has performed well in the first half of the season.
“We believe in these guys,” Sutphin said. “They are coming together. I think that their team camaraderie is as good as we have ever had. It has been fun to be a part of.”
The Redskins have been the top-ranked team in the MetroNews power index throughout the first three weeks of the poll.
“I think they have a lot of room for growth,” Sutphin said. “I am interested to see where we are headed.”