Coach Vickey has introduced some new skill challenges, and naturally, they involve Halloween 🎃 props.
We’ve had another nice turnout of both athletes and family members. One thing about being in the gym with Vickey is that there will be a treasure chest ( Halloween term ) of quality photos 📸 taken and shared by Cathy, Samantha, and today, Jeannie Ritchie
Mid practice break time ⏲️ and then it’s In to the scrimmage !
Later this afternoon, we will gather at Hillsville Elementary School 🏫 for the latest round of Special Olympics Basketball 🏀 practice. It’s 8:30 am. right now, and Coach is mapping out a game plan, but her effort has a twist.
We will use Head Coach Rick Nester as an example. When our softball coach holds a practice, he expects all 11 players to show up and participate that day. Maybe, every so often, one player will need to miss a day for an important reason, but for the norm, Coach knows what to expect at a given practice.
Vickey Ritchie, in my five years of hanging around and trying hard to be her Kevin Burress ( someone who cares as much as you and is willing to step out on a limb if it will make someone smile), I’ve seen the number as small as 10 but as large as 30+.
Yet, just like an accordion 🪗, Vickey will expand or retract on the fly ! It’s not until the gym door opens and folks start walking in that Vickey is sure of her game plan.
Being that today, we are going to celebrate being halfway to Boo Ridge. Instead of calling her a Magician 🎩, we will call her a witch 🧙♂️. Either way, this lady has MAD SKILLS, and she’s not afraid to use them for Good. I guess that makes her the Good Witch 🧙♀️.
Marco and I were at Utah Tech University at the same time (two years ago), and now, most weekends, the young man from Ecuador 🇪🇨 heads out to the mound for the Golden Bears 🐻.
For seven innings yesterday afternoon, Marco limited everyone, not named Nate Montgomery to just two base hits. Montgomery collected three singles to account for 60% of the offense, but each time, WVU-T had the answer defensively !
Seven innings pitched, five hits allowed, four K’s, and just two walks. The Cougars plated 19 runs across 26 innings over the weekend series, but for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon, Marco said, ” Not on my watch.”
Three relievers combined to close out the second consecutive victory with Cam Lynch earning the save for WVU-T.
Montgomery would have had a fourth hit credited to his name if not for a very fortunate bounce in the top of the eighth inning against Tate Martino. Clinging to a 3-1 lead at the time, Martino surrendered a lead off single to Nate Wolf, bringing Montgomery up as the tying run.
The line shot was headed to right field, but fortunately, it was on top of Wolf in a heartbeat. The ball clipped Wolf on the foot, ending the play and reducing the at-bat to a fielders choice. Lady Luck was smiling on the Golden Bears 🐻 at that moment.
WVU-T added a much needed insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Nolan Copeland led off with a walk and came around to score on a double from Zach Hunt.
The top of the ninth proved to be interesting as six Cougars came to the plate, and the ball was never put into play once. Three walks and three strikeouts with Lynch closing it out by getting a pitch past Montgomery with the tying runs on base.
In order to compete in the River States Conference, you need to have an Ace who deals with the best of them. On Saturday, we had one in Marco Viteri Moran, a young man from Ecuador by way of St. George, Utah.
WVU-T plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning when Gabe Templeton reached on a hit by pitch, and Jacob Tompkins followed with a single. Reece Patterson reached on a fielders choice, scoring Templeton and later scored on an infield single by JJ Polvinale.
The third run scored in the fifth when red-hot Cody Cooper led off with his second hit of the game, and Joshua Tibbits drove him in with a pinch hit single.
When the dust settled later in the day, the Golden Bear nine had taken two of three from a talented Cougars squad. For the second time this season, we welcomed an RSC foe to Linda K Epling Stadium and prevailed !
Friday and Saturday, April 24 & and 25, we will welcome Midway to Beckley for the season ending weekend series that will include Senior Day ceremonies. One more opportunity for the folks in Beckley to take in some free baseball ⚾️ in a beautiful stadium 🏟 and root, root, root for the home team !
West Virginia Tech 12, IU -Kokomo 11 (10)
West Virginia Tech 4. IU – Kokomo 1
IU – Kokomo 7, West Virginia Tech 2
Cooper went 6 of 12 for the weekend with 4 RBI
Furman University is returning its top 9 players from this past season !
Later today, Vickey Ritchie will host a halfway to Boo Ridge Special Olympics basketball 🏀 practice !
Travis Osborne and his Bible Verse of the Day :
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Have yourself a Blessed Day 🙌!
To say that Vickey Ritchie likes Halloween 🎃 would be equal to saying that people like to eat cake 🎂. It should be to no ones surprise that tomorrow, our Special Olympics Basketball practice will have a Halloween theme.
It turns out that we are currently exactly halfway through the year in regards to the holiday of the Great Pumpkin 🎃. I’m not sure where the mind of our fearless leader will take us next, but I’m sure that it will be fun for everyone who walks through the gym door 🚪 tomorrow !
A.S.P.N on The Hill 