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By John Nolan
Assistant Director of Scouting/Content Management 

Culpeper-A cold, windy Tuesday afternoon saw the Courtland Cougars travel to Culpeper to take on the Eastern View Cyclones. Both teams sent sophomores to the mound to start the game, righthander Alex Kobersteen for Courtland and lefty Wesley Payne for Eastern View.

The game moved quickly through the first two innings as Kobersteen was perfect and Payne got around an infield single in the first with a double play and caught a runner attempting a first move steal in the second. For velocities and scouting information on Payne and Kobersteen, check the Virginia/DC Scout Blog later this week.

Payne worked around a two-out walk in the top of the third, and the Cyclones came to the plate with the game still scoreless. Kobersteen started the inning off ominously, walking the leadoff hitter and hitting the second batter. He collected himself and got a fielder’s choice and shallow fly out to left to get two outs. After another hit by pitch, Eastern View senior leftfielder Luke Easter singled to right, driving in two runs and giving the Cyclones the lead, 2-0 after three innings.

Courtland loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth as the Cougars tried to answer, but Payne was able to get another double play to end the inning and keep his shutout intact.

The fourth inning would be a big one for Eastern View as a pair of flared singles and a stolen base set the Cyclones up with runners on second and third with no outs for junior Ray Tricarico, who singled to right to make the score 4-0. Courtland went to the bullpen at that point, and Eastern View would load the bases on an error by the new pitcher and a fielder’s choice on a bunt that the throw was late on. Senior centerfielder David Laird (Radford) singled to left-center, making the Eastern View lead 6-0, with no outs. The Cyclones would add one more run in the bottom of the fourth and led the game 7-0 at that point.

7-0 would be the final score as Payne continued his dominance, with only two Courtland batters reaching base in the last three innings, one on a hit, one on an error. Payne finished the game with a shutout and a line 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 BB, and 5 K.

Offensively for the Cyclones, Laird went 1-4 with 2 RBI. Easter went 1-3 with a BB and 2 RBI. Tricarico went 1-2 with 2 R, 2 RBI, and a BB. For Courtland, senior shortstop Nick Caiafa went 2-3.