Happy Valley raises $1,571 for St. Jude, tops Unaka during benefit game
Published 11:38 am Monday, April 30, 2018
- Contributed Photo The Happy Valley Warriors raised over $1,500 for kids at St. Judes during their benefit game against Unaka at Cannon-Gouge Park Saturday. Happy Valley head caoch Brad Hill and assistant coach Todd Caldwell shaved their head for the cause, while coach Jordan Taylor, who was already bald, shaved his beard. Pictured from left to right, back row, coach Hill, coach Taylor, and coach Todd Caldwell. Pictured in the front is coach Hill's son, Kael, who is a cancer survivor and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital patient.
Saturday at Cannon-Gouge Park, the Happy Valley Warriors won in more ways than one.
Hosting a benefit game against Unaka, the Warriors raised $1,571 for kids at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The highlight of the day came when Happy Valley head coach Brad Hill and Warriors assistant coach Todd Caldwell shaved their heads for the cause. Also getting in on the action was assistant coach Jordan Taylor. Taylor, who already had a bald head, shaved off his beard.
On the field, the Warriors used a big fifth inning to defeat Unaka, 10-6, in a nonconference contest.
Trailing the Rangers 4-3 after four innings, the Warriors posted seven runs in the fifth to jump ahead 10-4. The Rangers posted runs in both the sixth and seventh innings but couldn’t complete a comeback. Happy Valley’s Luke Naylor and Bailey Conley both had two-run singles in the fifth to help the Warriors’ cause.
The Warriors Jacob Absher went 2-of-4 at the plate while recording an RBI.
Unaka’s John Ramsey, John-Wesley Hardin, and Daniel Ensor each had two hits apiece.
On the mound, HV’s Kevin Whitaker picked up the win with nine strikeouts against no walks. Whitaker had ten hits and six runs against him.
The Rangers worked through four pitchers with Ramsey, Blake King, Dakota Gallimore and Hunter Rice all taking the mound.
