<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3ZRy4y_0sQu9AO700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3ZRy4y_0sQu9AO700" width="735" height="547" ><figcaption>The Panthers' Gage Whitt (7) connects with a pitch in Monday's home game against Class A sectional rival Man.</figcaption></figure>Austin Smith was pitcher perfect on Wednesday night at Van.Smith, the Tug Valley High School baseball team's junior right-hander, fired a perfect game in the Panthers' 11-0 win at Class A sectional team Van on Wednesday night in Boone County.Smith retired all 15 batters he faced, striking out nine, as the Panthers improved to 6-6 on the season.Tug Valley also played an error-free game, and several fine defensive plays in the field helped Smith preserve the perfect game.In the meantime, the Panther offense helped Smith and Tug cruise to victory.Tug Valley plated three runs in the first inning and two more in the second to take a 5-0 lead. A five-spot in the top of the fourth broke the game open. TVHS scored one more run in the fifth.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4GDdTz_0sQu9AO700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4GDdTz_0sQu9AO700" width="460" height="573" >Smith then retired the Bulldogs one-two-three in the bottom of the fifth inning, ending the game early due to the 10-run mercy rule and finishing off his perfect game.The Panthers took advantage of six issued walks by Van pitchers and eight Bulldog errors.Austin Smith also helped his own cause as he was two for two at the plate with a triple and one RBI, hitting out of the No. 9 hole.Zach Hall doubled and knocked in one for Tug Valley. Elijay Fluty added a hit for the Panthers.Conner Lackey drove in two runs, while Ashton Smith, Gavin Fitzpatrick, Dakota Ooten and Gage Whitt had one RBI each.Through 12 games, Julian Vance leads Panther regulars with a .472 batting average. He has 17 total hits, eight RBIs, two doubles and a triple.Lackey is hitting .415 with 17 hits, a team-leading 15 RBIs and four triples.Austin Smith is 2-1 on the hill with a 0.46 ERA. He has tossed 15.1 innings and has fanned 20 and walked four.Lackey is 1-1 with a 0.84 ERA with 14 strikeouts and five walks over 8.1 innings of work.Hall is 1-2 with a 1.62 ERA with 24 strikeouts and four issued walks in a 13-inning worksheet.Ooten has an 0-1 record with a 2.05 ERA. He has fanned 10 and walked 12 batters in 13 and 2/3 innings.The Panthers are scheduled to play Class AA Point Pleasant on Friday at 5:30 p.m., at the Chapmanville tourney. Tug Valley then plays 2A Wayne on Saturday at 1 p.m., also at Chapmanville. Tug Valley hosts 2A Logan on Tuesday, April 16 at 7 p.m.MAN 3, TUG VALLEY 2: Tug Valley gave Man all it wanted but fell in a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Class A No. 9-ranked Hillbillies on Monday night at Tug's Don Spence Field in Naugatuck.Man broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh as Gavyn Cline drew a two-out walk off Tug Valley relief pitcher Conner Lackey, then stole second and third bases before scoring on a Panther error for the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run.Man's Braxton Messer then got the Panthers out in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win. Julian Vance had drawn a two-out walk to put the game-tying run on base. Messer then struck out Chandler Copley looking to end the game.Man improved to 9-3 on the season, while the Panthers dropped below .500 at 5-6.The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth as Cam Gerace ripped a two-run homer to right field, putting the Billies on top 2-0.Tug Valley then tied the game at 2-all in the bottom of the fifth as the Panthers loaded up the bases and scored a pair on Copley's RBI groundout and a Man error.Messer was credited with the win in relief as he tossed two and 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, striking out six and walking two and giving up no hits.Gerace was the starter, tossing four and 1/3 innings and giving up two unearned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts and four walks.Dakota Ooten was the starter for the Panthers and had a no-decision. He pitched well, allowing two earned runs on three hits to go along with six strikeouts and one walk.Lackey was saddled with the loss as he allowed the unearned run in the seventh while striking out three and walking two over two and 1/3 innings of work.Vance, Ooten and Gage Whitt all singled for Tug. Landon Cantrell and Cline both doubled for Man.Both teams committed one error in the game.TUG SWEEPS PAST WIRT COUNTY: Tug Valley evened its record to 5-5 on the season with a home doubleheader sweep over Wirt County on Saturday, April 6 at Tug's Don Spence Field in Naugatuck.The twinbill was originally scheduled to be played at Wirt County, but was moved to Tug Valley due to flooding in the Wirt County area after the recent storms.The Panthers edged Wirt County, 3-2 in the opener, then blanked the Tigers, 9-0 in the nightcap to take the sweep.Tug Valley won Game One in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning with Julian Vance's walk-off, RBI single, which broke a 2-2 tie.Wirt County had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as Easton Wyler rapped out an RBI single.Tug answered in the bottom of the third with Conner Lackey's RBI single, tying it up 1-1.Then in the bottom of the fifth, Vance's RBI sacrifice fly put the Panthers on top 2-1.The Tigers tied it 2-2 with a single run in the top of the sixth.Lackey notched the win on the mound in relief for the Panthers. He tossed a scoreless top of the seventh and struck out two with one walk. He was credited with the win as Tug scored the winning run in the last half of the seventh frame.Gage Whitt was the Tug starter and had a no-decision as he hurled four innings and allowed one unearned run on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks.Chandler Copley then fired two innings in relief, allowing an unearned run on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks.The Panthers outhit the Tigers 8-4 and both teams committed four errors in the opener.Vance, Tug Valley's leadoff batter, went two for three at the plate with two RBIs. First baseman and lefty Elijay Fluty went two for three at the plate as did Ashton Smith. One of Smith's hits was a triple.Lackey added a hit and a run batted in for the Panthers. Dakota Ooten also had a single.In the second game, Tug rolled to a 9-0 win and outhit the Tigers 8-5. Vance and Lackey led the Panther offense as both were a perfect three for three at the plate with two RBIs apiece. Lackey, the Tug DH, had a double, while Vance, the leadoff shortstop, rapped out a triple.Gavin Fitzpatrick doubled and knocked in two runs for Tug Valley.Ashton Smith added a single and Whitt also drove in a run.Tug Valley tallied three runs in the first and two more in the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Panthers then tacked on one in the fourth, two in the fifth and one more in the six.Zach Hall was the starting and winning pitcher as he lasted three innings and gave up no runs on three hits with five strikeouts and one walk.Vance then tossed two innings of scoreless relief, yielding no runs on one hit with one strikeout and two walks. Ashton Smith and Jacob Jones then both fired a scoreless inning to close out the game. Jones struck out the side in the seventh to put the win on ice.Tug Valley played an error-free game. Wirt County had three errors.Tug Valley's previous three games were postponed due to recent inclement weather. Wiped out were the April 2 home game with Belfry, Ky., the April 4 matchup with Phelps, Ky., also at home, and a road contest at Class AA Scott on April 5.</div></body>

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Tug's Smith fires perfect game in 11-0 win at Van

Austin Smith was pitcher perfect on Wednesday night at Van. Smith, the Tug Valley High School baseball team's junior right-hander, fired a perfect game in the Panthers' 11-0 win at Class A sectional team Van on Wednesday night in Boone County. Smith retired all 15 batters he faced, striking out...

Tug's Smith fires perfect game in 11-0 win at Van

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