HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The 90’s alt-rock band Garbage may have only been happy when it rains, but the Coal Cats certainly were not, as rain shortened Tri-State's inaugural home opener following the top of the eighth inning, resulting in a 6-3 loss to the Pulaski River Turtles.
Pulaski wasted no time getting on the board, as a triple by River Turtles’ second baseman Seth Buchanan led to an Austen Jaslove single that put the River Turtles on top, 1-0.
The Coal Cats did not respond until the bottom of the third, when the first run in team history scored as the result of a balk, bringing home center fielder CJ Richard after he stole two bases.
With Richard drawing a walk to get on base, drawing walks to create runs became a theme for both sides, as Pulaski scored three runs in the next inning after drawing free passes, only for Tri-State to respond in the bottom of the frame following two hit batters and a walk that loaded the bases.
The 20-year old center fielder had himself quite the birthday, going 1-for-2 with two walks, recording the first hit in Coal Cats history with his fifth-inning leadoff triple that gave the Huntington faithful another reason to celebrate.
“The crowd was fun, it was amazing, really, to see everyone come out in Huntington,” Richard said. Despite pulling within two runs in the sixth as the result of a throwing error, three runs were not enough as the River Turtles tacked on two more in the sixth and seventh innings. Richard’s triple proved to be the only hit for the Coal Cats, adding to the six drawn walks and two hit batsmen.
“The positive is: we scored three runs. Anytime you score three runs, only getting one hit, means you’re doing something good; You’re getting on base. We had our chances at points. Our situational hitting wasn’t where we wanted to be and they did a better job at it," Coal Cats manager Tommy Gregg said following the game.
Both Gregg and Richard are looking on the positive side following the Opening Day loss, with Richard adding the positives the team saw in its first game together.
“We had fun, we got to know a lot from the team, got to play together," he said. "So, once we break that mold, build our chemistry up, then, we’ll be fine.”
Game 2 of the series from Jack Cook Field begins at 7 p.m., as the Coal Cats return to attempt a series split with the Pulaski River Turtles.
