Blues roll to district win

By DAVE Cox/Staff
BLUEFILD- Playing the game was in doubt. Who the winner would be never was!
Richlands and Graham dodged threatening skies last Friday to get in a varsity Southwest District baseball game and the G-Men might have been praying for rain after they took a mercy rule-shortened 18-1 beating at the hands of the Blue Tornado!
The Blues scored in every inning of the five inning contest while the lone Graham tally came on a balk by a Tornado pitcher in the bottom of the fifth frame. The Blues plated two runs in the first inning, seven in the second, four in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Eric Stiltner (1-0) was one of four RHS hurlers and he picked up the pitching victory. David Marrs started for Graham (0-3, 0-2 SWD) and suffered the pitching loss. GHS used three different pitchers with similar results from each.
Richlands (2-0, 1-0 SWD) belted out nine hits and were aided by seven Graham errors. Stiltner blasted a grand slam home run and double and finished the game with four RBI. Also yielding a big bat was Bradley Strong with four runs batted in. He had one hit and scored three times. Christian Hearl tripled and batted in three runs for the Blues. He also scored twice. Joel Elswick added a pair of RBI with one hit. Blayke Wilson doubled and scored three runs. Ethain Keene, Taylor Sizemore and Jacob Rife added a single each with Keene batting in a run and scoring one. Sizemore and Rife each crossed the plate twice for the Blues.