T-L Photo/RICK THORP SHADYSIDE THIRD baseman Korey Beckett, left, makes a throw to first as shortstop Kelly Hendershot backs up the play Saturday against Bellaire at Blacker Field. The Tigers won, 12-1.

NEFFS — Anthony Coggins, Korey Beckett and Mason VanNest each drove in two runs and Collin Holmes allowed just two hits in four innings of work Saturday propelling Shadyside to a 12-1, 5-inning victory against Bellaire in the season-opening high school baseball contest for both teams on John Blacker Field.

Kelly Hendershot and Zeke Merryman both added two hits for the Tigers, who scored in every inning but the fourth in staging what second-year Head Coach Shawn Selmon called one of the most-complete performances he’s seen from his squad in some time.

“I didn’t expect a whole lot less than what I saw (Saturday) on our side of the field with our hitting and defense,” he said. “I knew we’d do well.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve played clean baseball on the defensive side with no errors. Like I’ve said, these young kids and the leaders I have out here — the seniors and juniors — they’re playing good baseball.”

The Tigers pounded out 11 hits and batted around during a five-run fifth that put the game out of reach. The meat of the order came alive there, highlighted by VanNest’s shot off the glove of the Bellaire short stop that plated a pair and chased Big Reds starter Mason Badia (2K, 3BB) from the hill.

VanNest’s shot followed Beckett, who doubled down the left-field line scoring a run. Hendershot also knocked in a run during the inning via a sac fly.

Shadyside was aided by a Big Reds’ error, one of six on the day. Three of them in the first inning helped contribute to three runs, in addition to RBI hits by Hendershot and Beckett.

“That inning absolutely set the tone,” said Bellaire head coach John Patrone, who noted during the preseason his team’s ability to eliminate miscues would play a big part in its success. “We have to make routine plays. It’s as simple as that.

“Physical errors, mental errors, walks, things like that that give the other team an advantage, we gave them a ton.

“(Shadyside) played well in the field and they played a good game. In the first, we had a few plays that didn’t go our way. I don’t know if that got in our heads or not. You can’t win games playing that way.”

Patrone also praised Holmes, who exited with six strikeouts and three walks. Two of the free passes were issued with one out in the third and led to the Big Reds having players two players in scoring position for the second time in the first three innings. But a pair of groundouts eliminated the threat and Bellaire didn’t score until Cole Runyan’s sac fly in the fifth. Bellaire left six runners on base — five in scoring position.

“He has good control and he has a good head on his shoulders,” Selmon said of Holmes. “I like to pitch to contact a little more, that’s what we always preach to our pitchers. Sometimes, he has stuff that’s good enough to where we’re trying to throw to contact and they miss it and it runs his pitch count up. But he earned it (Saturday). He did a really good job.”

VanNest pitched the fifth, allowing a run and two hits. But by then the Tigers, who visit Barnesville on Monday, had things in hand.

“We started some young kids, and it’s tough when you have a lot of seniors and a lot of upperclassmen and you have young kids with talent come in,” Selmon said. “But they showed everyone why they were out there.”

The Big Reds play host to Martins Ferry, also Monday.