BASEBALL: Crab Orchard tops Falcons 11-2

Flashing back to a season ago, Crab Orchard's Colten McCree no-hit Elverado in the first game of 2014 in a 5-0 win. While the Falcons made vast improvements on that performance, it wasn't enough for a victory in Tuesday's 2015 opener, as the Trojans used a five-run fourth inning to bust open a one-run ball game on their way to an 11-2 triumph at Darren Coffel Field in Dowell.

EHS starter Alec Valerius fanned the first two batters before escaping a two-base-runner jam in the top of the first by inducing a ground ball out to shortstop, allowing the Falcons to get on the board first in the bottom half of the inning.

It took Elverado just three batters to eclipse their hit total vs. McCree last season, as Clayton Funk singled with two outs. Zach Berner followed with another base hit, and after Keaton Tyner was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Austin Hester smacked a two-run single into the outfield to give the Falcons the lead.

Unfortunately for Elverado, it didn't last very long. Josh Pape reached on an error, then Ethan Anderson and Cameron Stephens both singled, tying the game up at 2-2 in the top of the second inning. A double by Lane Hutson, two hit batters, and another error by the Falcons led to Crab's third run the next inning.

Then the wheels came off in the top of the fourth for the Falcons. Three Trojan hits, two Elverado errors and a walk led to ten Crab Orchard hitters coming to the dish, resulting in a four-spot on the scoreboard.

The Trojans would add three more in the fifth inning to give them eleven runs for the afternoon.

Valerius held his own on the mound for the first three innings before things got out of hand in the fourth, but EHS head coach Tim Davis was pleased with his performance, as well as the efforts from relievers Logan Cavitt and Keaton Tyner, both of whom had seen very little (or in Tyner's case, zero) varsity time on the mound prior to Tuesday's game.

"(Valerius is) steady," said Davis. "He's going to throw strikes, he's not going to blow it by you. He's got a good little two-seam that runs away from you."

"I thought Logan came in and did good, he kind of got tired, and I can see that, first time out in cold weather. Keaton hasn't been on the mound for a long time, so I thought he threw well."

Funk (1-4, R), Berner (2-2, R, 2 BB), Hester (2-4, 2 RBI) and Avery Caraker (2-4) had hits for the Falcons.

"I thought we had some kids step up and swing the bat pretty well for the first time in the box this year, and really being outside for the first time," said Davis. "(Caraker) hit the ball hard all four times, got two hits. Zach Berner swung the bat in the four hole. We've just got to have guys step up. Our younger kids did today, but we're going to have to rely on our older kids from now on too."

Stephens (2-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B), Anderson (2-4, R) and Josh Turnage (2-5, 2 R, 2B) each had a pair of hits for the Trojans.

Elverado is at Cobden on Wednesday before returning home on Friday to host Z-R-C.